Nigeria intends to boost universal health coverage drive with digital ID

The National Health Insurance Authority of Nigeria (NHIA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to make the National Identification Number (NIN) an integral part of healthcare access in the country.

The MoU was signed recently between the CEOs of both government agencies and the principal idea to have the digital ID fully integrated with the healthcare system, a step which both parties see as critical in advancing Nigeria’s universal health coverage (UHC) scheme.

Nigeria launched a UHC initiative in 2005 but its implementation has faced several challenges along the way. The government retouched the plan in 2022 under the NHIA Act and the new target is to ensure every citizen is covered by the UHC scheme by 2030.

NHIA’s Director General and CEO, Kelechi Ohiri, said in a thread on his X account that the integration of the NIMC’s identity infrastructure with the national healthcare system will boost the UHC scheme by enhancing inclusivity, improving the efficiency of service delivery processes, and strengthening data integrity to support better planning.

“This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to building a resilient healthcare ecosystem through strong inter-agency partnerships,” the CEO added.

Through the collaboration, a unified system will be put in place which will link the identity of NHIA members to their patient records, not only for easy identification but also to streamline access to care.

The move is also aimed at reducing fraud and enhancing transparency in the patient management process especially in the area of processing claims.

Talking about transparency, Nigeria’s NIMC-NHIA collaboration is in the steps of moves in a country like Kenya where biometrics is used to tackle insurance fraud which has seen the government lose millions of dollars in the last few years.

The MoU comes as the MINC has continued to strengthen NIN coverage with almost 124 million issued as of September, according to The Guardian.

Meanwhile, the ID authority announced in July that it looks forward to launching the General Multipurpose Identity Card (GMPC)  this month. The ID, which the NIMC announced last year, is framed as a tool with a triple purpose to enhance digital and financial inclusion.

Article Topics

Africa  |  digital ID  |  National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)  |  National Identity Number (NIN)  |  Nigeria  |  patient identification