2 publishers · first seen Thu, 29 Oct 2026 13:00 UTC · updated Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:05 UTC
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has provided emergency obstetric care to about 19,000 women over the past 18 months, according to its Director-General, Kelechi Ohiri, who spoke at the 2026 Future of Health Conference in Abuja. Approximately 300 hospitals across Nigeria are accredited to deliver this care without upfront payments, aiming to reduce delays in treatment during childbirth complications. Ohiri emphasized that effective implementation, not just policy or technology, is critical to improving health outcomes.
The NHIA has also supported treatment for obstetric fistula, benefiting around 6,000 women, and is working with state governments to expand health insurance coverage, enrolling about 70,000 people so far. The authority has established a health technology assessment committee and partnered with Nigeria Health Watch to support local researchers in addressing health system challenges. The conference, held annually since 2015, focuses on scaling innovations to improve healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
Content auto-generated. May contain inaccuracies.