NHIA, NACA to expand health insurance for people living with HIV

The National Health Insurance Authority and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS have initiated a strategic partnership aimed at expanding health insurance coverage for People Living with HIV and other vulnerable populations.

The Director-General of NHIA, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, disclosed this collaboration via his X handle on Wednesday, emphasizing its role in ensuring financial protection and access to comprehensive healthcare services for PLHIV.

“This collaboration is a significant step toward ensuring financial protection, improving their quality of life, and enhancing access to comprehensive healthcare services. By strengthening health insurance, we are driving progress toward Universal Health Coverage,” Ohiri wrote.

Similarly, NACA, in a statement, confirmed that its management team, led by Director-General, Dr. Temitope Ilori, visited NHIA to discuss sustainable healthcare solutions for PLHIV.

Key highlights of the discussions included the expansion of health insurance coverage to over 19 million Nigerians, increased support for vulnerable groups, including PLHIV, integration of HIV and Tuberculosis treatment into NHIA benefits, and domestic resource mobilization for long-term impact.

“Collaboration is key to a healthier future,” NACA stated.

According to NACA, Nigeria currently has an HIV prevalence rate of 1.4 percent among people aged 15 to 64 years, with an estimated two million individuals living with HIV. Of these, 1.6 million are on treatment.

The 2023 UNAIDS report also revealed that approximately 160,000 children aged 0 to 14 are living with HIV in Nigeria, with 22,000 new infections and 15,000 AIDS-related deaths recorded annually.

Despite some progress, the country’s prevention of mother-to-child transmission and paediatric HIV coverage remain below 33 percent, falling significantly short of the 95 percent target.

GANUX