The Director General of the National Health Insurance Authority, Kelechi Ohiri, has called for stronger financial controls and institutional accountability to ensure that public spending on healthcare produces measurable benefits for Nigerians.
Ohiri made the appeal while receiving an award from the Anti Corruption Academy of Nigeria, the training and research arm of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission. He dedicated the recognition to the authority’s workforce and said lasting progress depended on systems rather than individual efforts.
He argued that corruption and weak oversight in health financing have consequences beyond financial loss because they can prevent patients from receiving treatment and undermine confidence in health insurance.
According to the authority, ongoing reforms include digitizing financial processes, addressing outstanding audits, improving complaints handling and strengthening the monitoring of healthcare providers. The NHIA has also expanded capacity building for its Anti Corruption and Transparency Unit.
Ohiri said staff in finance, audit, compliance, operations and management must work together to close gaps and make accountability part of routine administration. He also highlighted the need to ensure that increased enrollment leads to actual access to affordable and reliable care.
The supplied report places health insurance enrollment at more than 23 million people. The figure and the outcomes of the reforms should be checked against the NHIA’s latest official data, including active coverage, claims processing and service quality indicators.
