The National Health Financing Policy and Access to Healthcare in Nigeria

This paper examines the impact of Nigeria’s National Health Financing Policy since its inception in 2006 on access to healthcare. Access to healthcare is at the core of attaining Universal Health Coverage. We analysed the Policy’s provisions against five thematic areas and presented the situation analyses of each of these areas. The analyses reveal that although Nigeria experienced an improvement in some health indicators, these improvements are on the decline in the post-Millenuium Development Era. In addition, the challenges which the policy sought to address viz establishing sustained funding for healthcare, reducing catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditures on healthcare, inadequate coverage of social insurance, and poor coordination of donor activities persist 15 years after the Policy. The persistence of these challenges often leadsto the inability to access healthcare when needed and impoverishment from obtaining healthcare, thereby worsening health inequities. We, therefore, advocatefor the strengthening of existing governance and health systems on which the health financing policy can thrive. It is also essential to explore other avenues for mobilising and pooling funds to finance healthcare to supplement the budgetary allocations by the government. There is also the need to overhaul the National Health Insurance Scheme, which has yielded minimal gains in improving access to care. Finally, we suggest a review of 15 years-old Policy to take into account the new realities of healthcare financing, especially in terms of containing public healthemergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.