The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and health sector stakeholders in Nigeria are pushing for a more sustainable health insurance system. They emphasize the need for locally generated research and evidence to guide policy and implementation. This call was made at the inaugural Nigeria Health Finance Research and Learning Forum in Abuja, themed “Evidence and Learning for Nigeria’s Health Financing Future: Building a Locally Led Research and Learning Ecosystem.”
NHIA Director General, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, highlighted the limitations of episodic studies commissioned from outside the country. He noted that Nigeria needs to develop a continuous system where local research priorities are defined, and findings directly inform implementation. This approach aims to ensure that Nigeria determines its research priorities and uses evidence generated from its own context.
Dr. Ohiri identified key research priorities for the NHIA, including accelerating mandatory health insurance coverage, improving access for poor and vulnerable Nigerians, raising the quality of care, and strengthening the sustainability of health insurance. He also pointed out fragmentation as a major sustainability challenge, with 37 government health insurance schemes and over 95 private health insurance companies operating in Nigeria.
The NHIA has identified 15 studies linked to its strategic priorities and is working with research institutions, universities, and other partners to develop a broader health financing research ecosystem. Plans include establishing a national health financing observatory, a national research agenda, 15 research action plans, and regional collaboration frameworks.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative, Pavel Ursu, stressed the importance of implementation research in determining what works in different settings. He noted that global progress towards universal health coverage has slowed, with countries facing challenges around healthcare availability, quality, and affordability.
Other stakeholders, including Dr. Yetunde Aluko from the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research and Fatima Zannah from GIZ, emphasized the need for locally generated evidence to understand factors shaping healthcare access in Nigeria. They called for combining domestic evidence with lessons from countries facing similar health financing challenges.
The Executive Director of the WHO Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, Dr. Kumanan Rasamathan, urged Nigeria to treat research and learning as essential components of its health system. He called for stronger domestic institutions capable of producing, preserving, and applying evidence to policy, while stressing that international partnerships remain necessary for addressing global health challenges.
Key points
- The NHIA and stakeholders are advocating for a research-driven approach to achieve a sustainable health insurance system in Nigeria.
- Locally generated research and evidence are crucial for addressing challenges in coverage, financial protection, and quality of care.
- The NHIA is working to develop a broader health financing research ecosystem, including a national health financing observatory and research action plans.
