The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has directed all accredited hospitals to partner with at least two community pharmacies from April, in a major move to tackle persistent drug shortages affecting patients nationwide.
Under the new policy, hospitals providing services under the NHIA scheme must maintain formal agreements with community pharmacists to ensure patients can access prescribed medicines even when hospital pharmacies run out of stock.
Director-General of NHIA, Kelechi Ohiri, announced the measure in Lagos, describing it as a critical step to address long-standing supply gaps across Nigeria’s health system.
He said the reform forms part of broader efforts to expand coverage, improve quality, and guarantee equitable access to healthcare through the Health Innovation Leadership Academy initiative, themed “Leading Change in Nigeria’s Healthcare System.”
Dr Ohiri noted that the agency is also promoting innovation and collaboration to accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage, while tackling systemic challenges in health insurance administration.
He acknowledged that low enrolment remains a concern, attributing it partly to misinformation, and called for increased public awareness to boost participation in the scheme.
The NHIA, he added, is strengthening partnerships with private sector players, development agencies, and state governments, while implementing targeted programmes such as cancer care support, free fistula treatment, and emergency maternal and newborn services to improve health outcomes.
At the meeting, representatives of Roche emphasised the need for stronger institutional coordination and mass enrolment to sustain reforms, noting that improved primary healthcare and the use of digital tools would be key to expanding access and ensuring transparency in service delivery.