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In a drive to attaining sustainable development goals in the healthcare sector, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three facilities, Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Ebute Metta, FMC Epe and Outreach Signature Women and Children Centre, to catalyze access to Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (CEmONC) and reduce the burden of out-of-pocket expenditure among vulnerable households in Nigeria.
At a landmark ceremony held at the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta in Lagos on Friday 29th August 2025, representatives of three of the four facilities selected in the state joined the NHIA team led by Director-General/CEO, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, to formalize the agreement for the neonatal component of CEmONC.
With the signing of the MoU, the NHIA has assured partner facilities of prompt settlement of validated claims for services rendered to eligible women and newborns.
“We are insurance. We honour claims that are validated from inception. That means you can trust us to reimburse you appropriately for care provided. This MoU exists to protect you and the patients. By entering this contractual agreement, we are assuring you: go ahead and treat these women and newborns, and the NHIA will honour its commitment.” Dr. Ohiri stated.
In his remarks, Dr Ohiri, traced the journey of the initiative, noting that it was conceived under the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative spearheaded by the Coordinating Minister of Health, with the mandate to expand universal health coverage with a strong equity focus.
“The aim was to reduce both physical pains and the financial pains of Nigerians. NHIA was tasked to improve financial access to care, particularly for those who cannot pay out-of-pocket. The government’s priority has been to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality, and this partnership with both government and private facilities is a step in that direction” he said
He further explained that the Authority had earlier piloted its maternal health financing programme in four facilities for obstetric fistula and scaled to 20 facilities nationwide, with more than 3,000 women who have benefited. “Encouraged by this success, the government has now directed us to expand access to women with obstetric complications, focusing on the top five leading causes of maternal death. We started by probing the concept, tested it and now it is being scaled up across secondary facilities nationwide,” Dr. Ohiri added.
Speaking at ceremony, Dr Efunbo Dosekun, MD/CEO of Outreach Signature Women and Children Hospital Lekki, expressed optimism about the initiative but called for stronger financing capacity building.
“I have been frustrated because financing has not reached those who need it most; the poor, illiterate women facing cultural pressures. This MoU changes the picture. But we must also strengthen capacity and train more hands, otherwise financing alone cannot guarantee quality. If we fail to care for our babies now, in 20-3- years we will face a generation of children with brain injuries and disabilities. CEmONC fills a critical gap in prevention,” she said.
She further called for the establishment of a functional referral network to ensure seamless linkages between facilities with different levels of expertise and equipment.
Dr. Saheed Ogunme, Chief Medical Director, FMC, Ebute Metta and host of the event, stressed the importance of sustainable financing: “Healthcare requires deliberate government intervention. In the UK, services are free but funded by taxation; in the US, they are financed largely through insurance. Nigeria must decide how it wants to finance healthcare sustainably. NHIA’s intervention is commendable, but the broader financing model must be clarified” he said.
Also present were Dr. Adeleke Adesola, Medical Director of FMC Epe; Dr. Salawudeen Sikiru, Director Informal Sector Department, NHIA; Mrs. Aisha Abubakar Haruna, Acting Director, NHIA Lagos Zone; Mr. Harrison Etim, Director Human Resources and Administration, FMC Ebute Metta; and Mr. Novo Abere, MD/CEO of Reliance HMO, the programme’s Third-Party Administrator.