By Atlantic Reports

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has secured approval to extend health insurance coverage to people in Nigerian correctional facilities, with implementation to begin through facility assessments and enrolment preparations.

NHIA Director-General Dr Kelechi Ohiri announced the development at a quarterly media conference organised by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency in Abuja on Thursday.

He said the Ministerial Oversight Committee approved the initiative on Wednesday, allowing the authority to work with the Nigerian Correctional Service to improve inmates’ financial access to healthcare.

The approval marks the start of implementation rather than confirmation that inmates nationwide have already been enrolled.

Facility Checks Before Enrolment

Ohiri said the NHIA would first review and assess healthcare facilities within the correctional system to determine whether they met the required quality and accreditation standards.

Eligible inmates would also need National Identification Numbers as part of the authority’s enrolment and identity verification requirements.

He said participants would be assigned to appropriate facilities for primary care and referrals where necessary.

Inmates already covered by state health insurance schemes would not be enrolled again, he added, to avoid duplication.

The announcement did not specify the number of intended beneficiaries, the funding allocation, the benefit package or a timetable for nationwide coverage.

Sustainable Healthcare Financing

Ohiri said discussions began several months ago after the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service raised concerns about inmates’ access to healthcare.

He described insurance as a means of making healthcare financing more sustainable and less dependent on changing donor priorities.

“As the world is changing, we have to build a system that is resilient and also sustainable,” he said.

Ohiri pledged quarterly progress reports to the Ministerial Oversight Committee, with an update expected at its next meeting.

For inmates, the practical effect will depend on how quickly eligible people are enrolled, facilities meet accreditation requirements and treatment and referral arrangements become operational.

Fistula Treatment Figure Needs Clarification

Separately, Ohiri said the NHIA was working with 19 facilities with trained personnel to perform corrective surgery for vesicovaginal fistula.

He also reported that more than 90,000 women had been treated nationwide. The account did not specify the period covered or whether the figure referred exclusively to fistula treatment or a broader programme, leaving its scope unclear.

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