Abuja — The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has unveiled plans to expand healthcare access for newborns by incorporating neonatal services into its flagship Financing Access to Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric Care (CEmOC) programme.
Director-General of NHIA, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, announced the initiative during a courtesy visit by members of the Nigerian Society of Neonatal Medicine (NISONM) to his office on Thursday in Abuja.
According to Ohiri, the maternal health component of the CEmOC programme—launched nearly a year ago—has already provided critical interventions to over 6,000 women facing obstetric emergencies across the country.
“Building on that success, we are now turning our attention to newborns, a group often left behind in healthcare conversations,” he said.
“The transition to newborn care is a natural next step. Every child deserves timely, high-quality care without placing a financial burden on their families.”
Ohiri emphasized that the new neonatal component will be co-designed in collaboration with NISONM, using a data-driven approach that addresses both the demand and supply challenges in neonatal health services.
“Beyond financing, this will require upgrading facility readiness, improving health worker capacity, and ensuring the steady availability of essential supplies,” he added.
The NHIA plans to collaborate with several key stakeholders, including the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), and the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) Coordination Office.
The NISONM delegation—which included leading neonatologists Prof. Mariya Muhktar-Yola, Prof. Iretiola Fajolu, Dr. Tongo, and Dr. Obum Ezeanosike—welcomed the initiative and pledged technical support. The team also committed to sharing data and expertise to help build effective and scalable interventions for newborns across Nigeria.
Nigeria currently ranks among the top contributors to global neonatal mortality. The country’s neonatal death rate stands at roughly 34 per 1,000 live births—more than twice the global average. Most of these deaths occur within the first week of life and are largely preventable, experts say.
Common causes include complications from prematurity, birth asphyxia, sepsis, and inadequate access to quality facility-based care. The burden remains disproportionately high in the North-West and North-Central regions.
Health experts note that improving neonatal outcomes is vital to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.2, which targets a reduction in neonatal mortality to 12 per 1,000 live births by 2030.
“To reach this goal,” said a NISONM representative, “Nigeria must adopt locally tailored, community-sensitive strategies, backed by skilled professionals and robust health financing systems.”
The meeting marks a pivotal step toward fully integrating neonatal care into national health financing and universal health coverage, potentially changing the survival outcomes for thousands of Nigerian newborns each year.
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