Stakeholders have challenged President Bola Tinubu to leverage policy frameworks, technology and digitalisation to achieve 40 per cent healthcare coverage for Nigerians.
This was the consensus at a symposium by Avon HMO to mark its 10th anniversary with the theme: ‘The role of data and digitalisation in accelerating our country’s progress on universal health coverage.’
Commending the President on the economic policy drives, Director-General of National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Prof. Mohammed Sambo, noted that the pathway for Nigeria to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) has been defined through policy framework provided by NHIA Act.
He said: “In line with the thinking of this administration, I believe some of the gains will be channelled towards covering at least 40% of Nigerians in two years.
“We already have the enabling legislation: National Health Insurance Authority Act signed into law in 2022 provides the framework for attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) which addresses two critical requirements for success.
“First is mandatory or automatic participation and second is a sustainable mechanism to cover those who cannot afford to pay. Universal health is critical for health security.
Sambo commended Avon HMO as a signpost for multi-sectorial collaboration to help Nigeria accelerate achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
“Our policy direction must embrace digital technology and innovation. Technology can revolutionise healthcare, enhance access to services and improve health information management.
“Policies should support adoption of electronic health records, telemedicine, mobile health applications and data-driven decision-making.
“Embracing this advancement will help promote efficiency, transparency and accountability within our health system. It will ensure that resources are well utilized to reach those who need them the most.
While reinforcing technology as a critical pillar in fast-tracking the implementation of the NHIA Act to achieve UHC, Adesimbo Ukiri, Avon HMO, CEO, said: “Healthcare is data intensive and lends itself well to data analytics and artificial intelligence.
“These are buzzwords that are being used across different sectors. Healthcare more than any other stand to benefit from all these innovations.”