The Bank of Industry and the National Health Insurance Authority yesterday in Lagos, signed MoU to establish the framework that will be used to expand access to health insurance by facilitating the enrolment of BOI funded beneficiaries and employers into national health insurance scheme and integrating this into compliance with BOI’s standards.
The Director General NHIA, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, said the MoU signifies a broader and shared commitment of BOI and NHIA to healthcare financing for all Nigerians, for health system and improving wellbeing and productivity of all.
Ohiri in a terse address just before the signing ceremony said President Bola Tinubu has made universal health insurance one of the priorities of his administration, which was why he signed into law the National Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative to ensure that Nigerians have access to health services.
Ohiri said the Authority has plugged into the Investment Initiative and identified four areas to make its mark; first coverage – making expansion possible by ensuring that the mandate is enforced. Second, equity, ensuring that NHIA leaves no one behind. Another pursuit of the Authority is quality of care that ensures access to good health care that Nigerians have. He emphasised that, “It will enhance productivity and reduce time that people spend outside of work due to illness and lack of access to care.”
The DG promised that NHIA would provide support to BOI to ensure that there is seamless operation and provide support to businesses that are part of that process.
Speaking earlier in similar manner, the Managing Director BOI, Dr. Olasupo Olusi, said the signing of the MoU between both organisations marks a strategic response to Nigeria’s health care productivity and inclusive priorities. “It aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, which places universal health coverage at the centre of sustainable economic development. BOI is proud to be an early adopter of the Presidential health insurance compliance directive and to collaborate with NHIA to advancing this national priority. We recognise that strong human capital is fundamental to productivity, resilience and long term economic growth.”
Olusi said by integrating health insurance compliance into the Bank’s credit engagement processes “we are translating national policy into practical option across private sector; and in doing so, we are encouraging broader adoption in improving enterprise resilience and sustainable economic growth across industries. This collaboration builds access to healthcare support stability improved productivity and reducing out of pocket medical expenses for businesses and other employees.”
