Healthcare cost: Over 50% of Nigerians falling into poverty – WHO

Nigeria has a very high out-of-pocket expenditure of more than 70 per cent with over 50 per cent falling into poverty due to ill health or payment for healthcare.

Technical Officer, Health Financing, World Health Organisation, Nigeria, Francis Ukwuije, said this in Abuja yesterday when a delegation of the first WHO health financing mission in Nigeria visited the management of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

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According to him, efforts toward implementing compulsory health insurance in Nigeria are as important as advancing the development of the country.

Chief Executive Officer, NHIA, Mohammed Sambo, said to attain universal health coverage, countries must provide financial risk protection for their people through health insurance.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who also received the WHO’s team, said the government had concluded plans to commence the universal health coverage programme to make quality healthcare service affordable and accessible to an estimated 83 million vulnerable Nigerians.