Grace Adeleke
The Federal Government has commenced moves to assess the impact of about N235bn released through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) over the past three years, amid concerns over the continued burden of out-of-pocket healthcare expenses on Nigerians.
The National Health Insurance Authority disclosed this in a statement on Sunday ahead of the inaugural Nigeria Health Financing Research and Learning Forum, scheduled to commence on Monday, September 28.
The development comes despite a reported increase in health insurance enrolment, with the NHIA putting the number of Nigerians covered under various health insurance schemes at more than 23 million.
According to the authority, the continued high level of out-of-pocket expenditure means that many households still face substantial financial pressure whenever they require medical treatment.
The NHIA said the rising investment in healthcare financing had made it necessary for the government to determine whether the funds were translating into measurable improvements in healthcare delivery and financial protection.
“The federal government has also released N235 billion through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund in the past three years, increasing the importance of ensuring that growing health investments deliver measurable results,” the authority stated.
The agency added that although health insurance coverage had expanded significantly, “out-of-pocket expenditure is still quite high, leaving many families exposed to heavy medical bills.”
The two-day forum is expected to bring together policymakers, researchers, healthcare professionals and health financing experts from Nigeria and other countries to examine how scarce healthcare resources can be deployed more effectively.
The meeting will focus on the use of evidence in determining which medicines, treatments and healthcare services should receive public funding, how healthcare providers should be reimbursed and where available resources could deliver the greatest impact.
The forum is being organised against the backdrop of ongoing reforms in the health sector under the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, led by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate.
The NHIA said the reforms were aimed at expanding access to healthcare, improving financial protection, strengthening patient outcomes and ensuring that public expenditure delivers better value.
The forum, themed “Evidence and Learning for Nigeria’s Health Financing Future: Building a Locally Led Research and Learning Ecosystem,” will also explore how research findings and health data can be translated into practical decisions on healthcare financing.
The initiative is a collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, NHIA, Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation, Nigeria Health Watch and the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research.
A major focus will be Health Technology Assessment, an evidence-based approach used to determine whether medicines, treatments and other healthcare interventions provide sufficient health benefits to justify their costs.
The NHIA disclosed that it had already conducted assessments involving kidney replacement therapy, colorectal cancer screening and treatment for advanced liver cancer.
The authority said identifying gaps in available evidence would help strengthen the connection between research and government financing decisions while improving patient care.
Experts expected at the forum include NHIA Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Kelechi Ohiri; Canada Research Chair in Health Economics at the University of Manitoba, Prof. John Ataguba; Ghanaian health economist, Prof. Justice Nonvignon; and Prof. Chima Ariel Onoka of the University of Nigeria.
Others include Ethiopian health financing expert, Dr Girmaye Dinsa; Dr Kheya Furtado of India’s Goa Institute of Management; Managing Principal of HSDF and health economist, Dr Yewande Ogundeji; and NHIA Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Dr Kurfi Abubakar Muhammad.
.....
