The development was disclosed by the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the NHIA, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, during the inaugural Civil Society Organisation (CSO)-Led Mid-Year Review of Nigeria’s National Health Sector Reforms in Abuja.
Speaking during the Government Technical Briefing Panel, Ohiri said the Authority was moving beyond the establishment of policies and legislative frameworks for universal health coverage to a phase focused on implementation, measurable outcomes and stronger protection for people enrolled in the insurance system.
According to him, the effectiveness of health insurance should not be judged solely by the number of people registered, but by whether beneficiaries can obtain appropriate medical care without being pushed into financial hardship.
“For us, coverage has to mean something when people become ill. Cancer is one of the clearest examples of why health insurance matters. When treatment is expensive and may continue over time, the question is not simply whether the service is covered, but whether the financial burden on the patient and the family is manageable,” he said.
Cancer treatment gets expanded support
As part of its efforts to strengthen financial protection for cancer patients, the NHIA has expanded its partnership with pharmaceutical company Roche through a cost-sharing arrangement covering selected oncology medicines.
Under the arrangement, Roche bears 50 per cent of the cost, while the NHIA contributes 30 per cent and patients are responsible for the remaining 20 per cent.
The Authority has also introduced additional financial support for eligible radiotherapy patients, with assistance ranging from up to N400,000 to full coverage, depending on the circumstances and eligibility of beneficiaries.
The intervention complements cancer-related services already included under the NHIA benefit and payment structure. These include mammography, CT and MRI scans, bone scans, cancer-related diagnostic investigations and radiotherapy.
Ohiri said the arrangement illustrated the potential of partnerships involving government, health insurers, healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies to make costly cancer treatment more affordable for patients.
HIV, TB coverage expands
The Authority is also extending financial protection to people living with HIV and patients receiving treatment for tuberculosis through the Global Fund Resilient and Sustainable Systems for Health (RSSH) grant.
As of September 3, 2026, more than 51,000 beneficiaries had been covered in Anambra, Ebonyi, Gombe and Kwara states.
The beneficiaries include more than 46,000 primary beneficiaries and over 3,700 household members.
Of the primary beneficiaries, more than 38,000 are people living with HIV, while over 7,400 are patients with drug-sensitive tuberculosis and 594 are patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis.
The NHIA has also commenced the accreditation of more than 2,000 healthcare facilities in preparation for the implementation of Global Fund GC8 and the planned nationwide expansion of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis coverage in 2027.
The move is expected to broaden access to healthcare services for vulnerable groups while strengthening the capacity of healthcare facilities to provide insured services.
Maternal, newborn health interventions
The NHIA also reported progress in maternal and newborn health, saying its Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) and Fistula-Free programmes had reached more than 93,000 women and newborns.
The figure comprises 79,221 women, 7,500 newborns and 6,044 women who received treatment for fistula.
The programmes are being implemented across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory through 286 CEmONC-empanelled facilities, as well as 22 National Obstetric Fistula Centres and partner facilities.
In addition, more than 40,000 women have been enrolled through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
The Authority reported a 22 per cent decline in case fatality at participating maternal health facilities, from 1,042 recorded in the 2024 baseline to 810 as of August 2026.
Beyond maternal healthcare, the NHIA said more than 2.7 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians had received support through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
NHIA strengthens patient protection
The Authority also highlighted measures aimed at improving the experience of people already enrolled in the insurance system.
According to the NHIA, it resolved 3,878 complaints from enrollees and refunded more than N14.2 million to affected beneficiaries.
It also issued 368 warning letters to healthcare facilities and suspended nine facilities over identified compliance concerns.
Inspection teams were deployed to monitor adherence to the one-hour treatment authorisation policy and other requirements relating to patient protection and quality of care.
The measures are intended to strengthen accountability among healthcare providers and ensure that beneficiaries receive services without unnecessary delays or avoidable barriers.
Provider payments rise
The NHIA said it had also increased payments to healthcare providers, with capitation rising by 93 per cent and fee-for-service reimbursements increasing by 378 per cent.
The Authority said the adjustments were part of efforts to strengthen the health insurance ecosystem and improve the capacity of healthcare providers to deliver services to insured patients.
Quality assurance has also received attention, with more than 7,500 healthcare facilities undergoing digital assessment under the SafeCare quality framework.
The assessments form part of broader efforts to improve the standard of healthcare services available to Nigerians enrolled in the insurance system.
‘We are not where we need to be’
Ohiri said the reforms were beginning to generate progress in several areas, including enrolment, financial protection, provider payments, quality assurance and patient rights.
“We have moved from policy and legislation to measurable implementation. The next task is to move from coverage to reliable access, from reliable access to better health outcomes, and from insurance membership to genuine financial protection,” he said.
Despite the growth in enrolment, however, the NHIA chief acknowledged that a substantial proportion of Nigerians remain outside the health insurance system.
He said the latest enrolment figure should therefore be viewed as both an achievement and an indication of the scale of the work that remains.
“We have made substantial progress, but we are not where we need to be. Over 23 million Nigerians covered is significant, but it also tells us that there are many more Nigerians who are still outside the system,” he said.
The Authority's latest figures therefore point to a continuing shift in Nigeria's health insurance reform agenda—from building the institutional and legal foundations of universal health coverage towards expanding actual access to care, reducing out-of-pocket expenditure and strengthening protections for vulnerable Nigerians.