Healthcare financing took centre stage recently as leading stakeholders in Nigeria’s health sector renewed calls for a more sustainable and inclusive framework to address the country’s overwhelming out-of-pocket expenditure and ensure universal health coverage (UHC).
This was the focus of the 2025 Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Healthcare Providers’ Association of Nigeria (HCPAN), Lagos State Branch, held at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Conference Centre, Ikeja, with the theme of the conference “Unlocking the Value Chain in the Healthcare Sector through Veritable Health Financing Options.”
Delivering the keynote address, the Chief Executive Officer of the Business School of Netherlands, Prof Lere Baale, emphasised that Nigeria’s healthcare system must urgently evolve beyond dependence on out-of-pocket payments, which currently account for over 70 per cent of total health expenditure.
The renowned management expert and President, Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPharm), noted that such a financing model exposes families to catastrophic health costs and perpetuates inequity in access to quality care.
“Health should be treated as an investment, not a cost,” Baale declared. “When we unlock the healthcare value chain through proper financing, we stimulate jobs, innovation, and national productivity.”
He urged both federal and state governments to view healthcare as an economic growth driver rather than a social burden, stressing the importance of sustainable financing, data-driven planning, and private-sector partnerships.
Representing the Special Guest of Honour, Senator (Dr) Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, chairman of the Governing Council of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), the Acting Zonal Director, NHIA Lagos Zone, Hajia Aisha Abubakar Haruna, assured healthcare providers that the authority is deepening reforms aimed at expanding insurance coverage nationwide.
“The NHIA Council is committed to ensuring that every Nigerian is covered under one form of health insurance or another,” she said, adding that efforts are ongoing to improve accreditation systems, address payment delays, and promote equity in enrollee distribution.
In his speech, the Chief Host and National President of HCPAN, Dr Austine Aipoh, reaffirmed the association’s long-standing advocacy for universal health coverage and compulsory health insurance in Nigeria. He noted that achieving UHC must begin with strengthening health insurance as a central pillar of healthcare delivery.
“If you want to achieve universal health coverage in Nigeria, you have to start from health insurance,” Aipoh stated. “Out-of-pocket payments have become obsolete because a lot of Nigerians simply cannot afford to pay for their health. The way forward is to ensure that every Nigerian is covered.”
Speaking in the same vein, Dr Chijioke Mbelu, national public relations officer of HCPAN, described the persistent high level of out-of-pocket spending as “a dangerous indicator of system inefficiency,” lamenting that many private healthcare facilities are struggling to remain afloat due to delayed remittances and low tariffs.
In her welcome address, the Chairman of HCPAN Lagos, Pharm. (Mrs) Biola Paul-Ozieh, applauded the robust participation of experts and policymakers at the event, noting that the discourse underscored the critical role of private providers in achieving universal health coverage. She lauded the Lagos State Government’s proposed Lagos Private Health Plan (LPHP), describing it as a step in the right direction toward inclusivity, while calling for transparent fund disbursement and regular tariff reviews.
The conference also featured two sub-theme presentations which focused on improving quality and collaboration within the health insurance ecosystem. Ms Onome Debbie Akwara of Niche Customer Experience Consulting spoke on enhancing enrollees’ experiences and health outcomes through quality service delivery, while Mrs Oladotun Adeogun, managing director of Hallmark HMO, discussed the importance of partnerships and shared accountability in driving broader health insurance coverage in Nigeria.
The event, chaired by the former Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Akin Osibogun, who was represented by Prof B. Ogunowo, attracted health leaders, administrators, and scholars from across Nigeria.
