The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has inaugurated a neonatal emergency intervention programme to reduce newborn mortality and expand access to life-saving care for vulnerable infants across Nigeria.
NHIA Director General, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, said this during the inauguration of the neonatal component of NHIA’s Financing Access Programme at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital yesterday in Kano State.
Represented by Dr Salawudeen Sikiru, Director of the Informal Sector Department, Ohiri said the intervention built on a maternal health initiative that was inaugurated more than a year ago.
“We began this programme to reduce deaths among mothers and newborns.
“The maternal phase started last year. Today, we’re launching the neonatal component to address emergencies in newborns,” he said.
According to him, the NHIA now pays for emergency care of newborns in public hospitals, and facilities are reimbursed weekly after submitting verified treatment bills to the agency.
“The covered services include care for prematurity, birth asphyxia, neonatal jaundice, sepsis, and newborn surgical complications and conditions responsible for a significant share of infant deaths in Nigeria, he explained.
Ohiri added that the initiative went beyond one-time emergency care, as beneficiaries were also enrolled in the national health insurance scheme for continued access to essential services.
“After stabilising the baby, we register them for full health insurance so they can continue receiving promotive and preventive healthcare.
“NHIA also covers the premium cost,” he said.
He noted that eligibility was limited to vulnerable or very poor households and that a valid National Identification Number (NIN) was required for identity verification and enrollment into the programme.
Ohiri further stated that the neonatal emergency intervention’s first phase would run through 2027, with the goal of treating every eligible newborn who presented at participating healthcare facilities.
“We are prepared to support as many newborns as needed. Once the hospital verifies the case, they treat the child and NHIA handles the payments,” he said.
He emphasised that the initiative aligned with the agency’s mission to reduce preventable deaths and strengthened the broader healthcare system through sustainable, government-backed financial protections for vulnerable citizens.
Chief Medical Director of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Prof. Abdulrahman Sheshe, commended the Federal Government and NHIA for their ongoing support and the launch of the critical intervention.
Sheshe said the programme would enhance the hospital’s ability to provide emergency care, reduce neonatal mortality, and improve the overall quality of service delivery at tertiary health institutions.
He urged the government to maintain long-term support for such programmes, saying they were vital to building a more inclusive and responsive healthcare system that prioritised the needs of Nigerians.