SFH to enroll 1.9m people living with HIV into health insurance

The Director-General of NHIA, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri; the Managing Director of SFH, Dr Omokhudu Idogho, and other officials at the NHIA office in Abuja. Credit: SFH

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A non-governmental organisation the Society for Family Health said it will facilitate the enrolment of 1.9 million people living with HIV into the national health insurance scheme.

The Managing Director of SFH, Dr Omokhudu Idogho, made the commitment in a statement made available to our correspondent on Friday.

Idogho also reaffirmed the organisation’s support to the National Health Insurance Authority in the next implementation phase, which incorporates comprehensive HIV, Tuberculosis, and Family Planning services.

Idogho said the phase includes convening stakeholder sessions to map NHIA-accredited facilities offering HIV, TB and FP services, as well as supporting the treatment of an estimated 500,000 annual TB cases under the insurance scheme.

“SFH will also contribute to strengthening commodity supply and logistics for HIV, TB and FP services within the insurance framework.

“It will also support NHIA in enhancing its Quality Assurance System to ensure adherence to national protocols and international best practices,” he said.

Idogho recalled that in March 2023, SFH and NHIA co-convened a multi-stakeholder workshop to define the HIV, TB and FP service packages to be integrated into health insurance.

He added that the three-day workshop concluded with the development of comprehensive service packages and the establishment of three technical working groups to further refine the framework.

“By June 2023, with NHIA’s guidance, SFH engaged an internationally licensed health actuary with extensive experience working in Nigeria.

“Cost data was collected from public and private facilities across the six geopolitical zones, forming the basis for the development of an actuarial model,” he said.

He added that the model was validated by stakeholders and presented to NHIA leadership, which used the findings to advance a full actuarial analysis of the national health insurance package and revise the National Basic Minimum Package of Healthcare.

This, he added, was to fully integrate HIV, TB and FP services.

“Additionally, NHIA worked with the Ministerial Oversight Committee to review and update the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

“This led to the launch of BHCPF 2.0 by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare with the new benefit package officially incorporating comprehensive HIV, TB and FP services,” he said.

Idogho said that for more than 40 years, SFH had championed responses to HIV, TB, malaria and reproductive health challenges, including FP.

He, however, noted that with diminishing donor funding, the organisation recognised the need for sustainable financing mechanisms to ensure continuity of services.

“This informed the organisation’s advocacy approach to NHIA, proposing the integration of these services into the national health insurance system.

“Following this advocacy, NHIA welcomed SFH’s proposal and requested technical assistance to design comprehensive benefit packages, conduct actuarial analyses, and develop resource mobilisation strategies.

“This partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in February 2023, marking the beginning of a significant collaboration aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s health insurance coverage,” he added.

He said SFH also presented an award to the Director-General of NHIA, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, in recognition of his leadership and commitment to integrating comprehensive HIV, TB and FP services into the national health insurance framework.

According to him, the milestone reflects NHIA’s commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage and signals the Federal Government’s readiness to sustain the fight against HIV and TB and expand FP services, even as donor funding declines.

Nigeria has one of the largest HIV epidemics globally, with an estimated 1.8 to 2 million people living with the virus. For decades, the country’s HIV response has been heavily dependent on donor funding, especially from PEPFAR and the Global Fund.

However, in recent years, international support has begun to shrink, raising concerns about the sustainability of treatment, prevention, and diagnostic services for HIV, tuberculosis, and family planning.

To address these concerns, the Federal Government has intensified efforts to expand the scope of the NHIA to cover essential public-health services previously funded by donors. The revised National Health Insurance Act of 2022 made health insurance mandatory for all Nigerians and strengthened the authority’s mandate to broaden benefit packages and guarantee universal health coverage.

Both the NHIA and development partners have since been working to integrate HIV, TB, and reproductive-health services into the national insurance framework.

This culminated in the 2023 and 2024 multi-stakeholder engagements that included actuarial modelling, reviews of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, and expansion of the National Basic Minimum Package of Healthcare.

The PUNCH journalist, Lara, has over 10 years experience covering health, environment and CSOs

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