Health
Nigeria’s Health Insurance Coverage Very Low at 5%—Expert
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An Associate Director, Health Financing, Health Systems Consult Limited, Dr Oluwatosin Kolade, has described the 5 percent coverage of health insurance as very low when compared with its peers like Ghana and Rwanda.
Mr Kolade said this at the breakfast meeting organised recently by Lifeworth HMO for various healthcare providers within the industry.
While delivering a paper on Health Insurance: Improving Service Delivery to the Enrollees, the medical expert shared the experience of Nigeria’s health insurance industry with what is obtainable in other African countries like Ghana, Rwanda amongst others.
He noted that while Nigeria was the first country to start health insurance amongst the three countries, Nigeria has only been able to achieve fewer than 5 percent coverage of its population as compared to Ghana and Rwanda’s health insurance cover of about 50 percent and over 90 percent of their populations respectively.
Focusing on the healthcare systems, Mr Kolade noted that the number of medical colleges in the country, estimated at 30 colleges as compared to 300 colleges in India, is abysmally low, thus making the number of the doctors available to cater for Nigerians to be very limited.
Compounding the shortage of trained medical doctors is also the mass exodus of medical practitioners currently been experienced at an alarming rate.
Concluding his lecture, he highlighted the insignificant budgetary allocation to the health sector in general and the poor regulatory framework of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in particular.
Keynote speaker at the event, the Past President of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN), Dr Anthony Omolola, charged healthcare practitioners to digitize their practice as well as improve on their financial acumen.
On the part of the HMOs, he emphasized on the need for seamlessly generation of authorization codes for providers on behalf of their enrollees in order to ensure speedy care.
During his speech, the Chief Executive Officer of Lifeworth HMO, Dr Raymond Osho, noted that the health insurance in Nigeria is at its infancy, however, the journey that has started must be periodically evaluated through discourses on how well to improve healthcare delivery.
According to him, “Affordable healthcare must deliver on its mandate which include accessibility, responsiveness and quality. This will in turn give the enrollees the best of services from the HMO which is delivered by the healthcare providers. This is the way through which the enrollees can trust the system, as a whole.”
There was also a panel session which consisted of Kunbi Adekeye, Head, People Outsourcing, ICS Outsourcing Limited; Dr Atinuke Nwjeh, CEO, Paediatric Partners Hospital; Dr Mohammed Isa, MD, Our Friend Hospital; Dr Tosin Kolade, Associate Director, Health Systems Consult Limited and Dr Raymond Osho, CEO, Lifeworth HMO.
Some of the main points from the session included the need to improve budget allocation to the healthcare sector at a minimum of 15 percent of national annual budget, in conformity with the Abuja declaration of 2001; the need to improve regulatory framework of the NHIS; the need to rapidly grow the health insurance coverage nationwide; the need for healthcare practitioners to improve their service delivery to enrollees; the need for HMOs to charge more realistic premiums from their clients and the need to educate enrollees in order to manage their expectations of the scheme.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is increasing efforts to block the entry of substandard and counterfeit products into Nigeria, particularly from China and India, the country’s two largest pharmaceutical trade partners.
This was revealed by Mrs Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of the agency, emphasised that the Clean Report of Inspection and Analysis (CRIA) scheme has significantly strengthened regulatory control over imports from these nations.
The two nation’s account for 60 per cent of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical imports and yet, there is a lot of counterfeit and substandard medicines from these countries.
She said, “Because most of these drugs come from China and India, the CRIA scheme is operational in those two countries,” adding that, “It ensures that only safe and high-quality products are shipped while preventing the export of substandard and counterfeit products.”
She note that NAFDAC has appointed and accredited CRIA agents in China and India to conduct rigorous pre-shipment inspections to tackle the issue.
In addition to appointing CRIA agents in China and India, NAFDAC is collaborating with COTECNA, a global testing, inspection, and certification service provider, to enhance quality control measures.
Mrs Adeyeye urged stakeholders to engage with these CRIA agents before shipping any consignment to Nigeria, saying, “I strongly encourage you to engage with CRIA agents before shipping any consignment–that is, to our stakeholders– from China, India, or Nigeria. You have the flexibility to choose from any of the listed CRIA agents to ensure compliance and safeguard the quality of imported products.”
NAFDAC also introduced an electronic platform, the Port Inspection Data Capture and Risk Management System (PIDCARMS), to enhance document verification and streamline inspection processes.
Mrs Adeyeye noted that CRIA agents will ensure that rejected shipments carrying drugs will not find their way to the country.
She urged stakeholders to visit NAFDAC’s official website for guidelines on product registration, labelling, and shipment requirements to ensure compliance with regulatory standards in order to prevent such lapses and ensure only approved products enter Nigeria.
Nigeria’s leading insurance company, AXA Mansard Insurance Plc, has announced the release of the AXA Mind Health Report 2025. This comprehensive study underscores the critical importance of mental health in the workplace and among young people.
According to Omowunmi Mabel Adewusi, General Counsel and Human Resource Director of AXA Mansard, the Mind Health Report is part of AXA’s ongoing commitment to promoting positive mental well-being and reducing stigma through holistic approaches.
She said, “The state of mind health in the world continues to give cause for concern, with a lot of people currently experiencing a mental health condition. This fifth edition of the report shows a worrying trend among our youth.
“We also observe an interesting trend in the workplace that reveals work impacts employees’ mental health either as a source of support or a source of issues.”
The AXA Mind Health Report 2025 reveals significant insights into the mental health landscape, highlighting the challenges that young adults and employees face.
According to the report, 44% of young adults (18-24) currently suffer from mental health conditions, with excessive use of social media and financial instability being major contributing factors.
Additionally, work-related stress, including excessive workload, tight deadlines, and a lack of work-life balance, remains a significant concern for employees.
Adewusi further emphasized the importance of prioritizing mental health in the workplace, explaining that mental health is a crucial aspect of overall well-being. Organizations must implement policies that support their employees.
“For us at AXA, this realization is at the heart of our We Care Programme, which affords our employees benefits such as flexible working hours, access to professional counselling services, monthly health workshops, a supportive work environment, menstrual, extended paternity, and caregiver leave benefits.
“The findings of the AXA Mind Health Report 2025 highlight the urgent need for proactive measures to address mental health issues in the workplace and among the youth. We are calling on business leaders, government agencies, and other stakeholders to foster a wellness culture that promotes positive mental health and supports individuals in reaching their full potential.”
The 2025 study, conducted in collaboration with IPSOS, aims to identify mental health and wellness issues in global society to build solutions to mitigate them. A total of 17,000 respondents from 16 countries participated in the survey.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The entry grade level for nurses in the Oyo State civil service with university degree has been reviewed, the Provost of the Oyo State College of Nursing Sciences, Ibadan, Dr Gbonjubola Owolabi, has revealed.
The review was done by the state government through the Oyo State Civil Service Commission.
Recall that the National Council of Establishment (NCE) at its 43rd meeting in 2022 approved the placement of university graduate nurses on grade level 10.
At a meeting with 21 Nursing Tutors on Wednesday in Ibadan, Dr Owolabi said the state government has moved the category of nurses from grade 8, charging nursing tutors of the institution to be diligent in their duties and imbibe integrity and quality.
“The institution is out to train nursing and health practitioners and churn out quality manpower who can function effectively in community, primary, secondary, tertiary, and industrial health settings.
“I urge you to key into this vision, even as the present administration will not deprive you of your rights,” the provost stated.
Dr Owolabi, who said that the Oyo State government placed priority on integrity and quality, disclosed that “the institution has received necessary accreditations from the regulatory bodies for some courses.”
She lauded Governor Seyi Makinde for approving the promotion of the 21 tutors, saying such a gesture should be reciprocated with dedication to service.
In her vote of thanks, one of the lecturers, Mrs Abiola Elizabeth, lauded the management of the institution, saying the approval from the civil service had further accentuated the priority placed on the health sector by Oyo State government.
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