Health
THE Nigerian Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF) has launched a nationwide study to identify barriers to health insurance participation among workers in Nigeria’s informal sector.
The initiative, known as the Informal Sector Health Insurance Participation and Enrollment in Nigeria (INSPIRE-NG) Study, was unveiled at a stakeholder engagement meeting in Abuja.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Communications Manager of NSSF, Miss Esther Anolu, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
According to the statement, participants at the meeting included representatives of the National Health Insurance Authority, the Federal Ministry of Health, state health insurance agencies, health maintenance organisations, development partners and health financing experts.
The Interim Chief Executive Officer of NSSF, Dr Adedayo Aderibigbe, said the study was designed to generate evidence needed to improve health insurance coverage among informal sector workers.
Aderibigbe said although the informal sector accounts for about 80 per cent of Nigeria’s workforce, health insurance coverage among workers in the sector remained low.
According to him, the situation exposes millions of Nigerians to catastrophic out-of-pocket healthcare expenses and financial hardship.
“Understanding the realities and priorities of informal workers is critical to designing health insurance models that are practical, trusted and responsive to their needs.
“For too long, conversations around health insurance coverage have focused primarily on the formal sector, while millions of informal sector workers remain uninsured and vulnerable to financial shocks caused by illness.
“INSPIRE-NG presents an opportunity to generate the evidence needed to understand these realities and develop practical, scalable solutions that work for Nigerians,” he said.
Aderibigbe said the study was expected to provide actionable insights to increase insurance coverage, strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes.
The statement quoted Petra Global Consulting, the organisation leading implementation of the study, as saying that the research would be conducted in six states representing the country’s geopolitical zones.
The states are Ogun, Delta, Enugu, Kano, Borno and Kwara.
According to the firm, the study will involve more than 4,200 respondents and include focus group discussions and key informant interviews.
It said the research would examine factors such as awareness, affordability, trust, digital inclusion, payment preferences, enrolment intentions and healthcare-seeking behaviour influencing insurance uptake.
The statement said stakeholders at the meeting described the initiative as timely and capable of providing evidence to strengthen health financing policies and improve enrolment strategies for the informal sector.
It quoted Dr Gbenga Ijaodola, Deputy Director, Planning, Research and Statistics Department, Federal Ministry of Health, as saying that the study would help stakeholders understand the reasons for low health insurance coverage.
“This research will open up many opportunities to ask the right questions.
“The study is a pacesetter because we need to understand why we have very low health insurance coverage, especially in the informal sector.
“This is a big opportunity to learn more and gather evidence on how to improve the demand side for health insurance,” he said.
Ijaodola expressed confidence that the findings would provide valuable insights for policymakers and implementers working to expand health insurance participation and accelerate progress towards universal health coverage.
The statement added that findings from the study would guide the development of targeted interventions and pilot models that could be refined and scaled across states.
It said consultations with stakeholders would continue as data collection begins in the selected states.
According to NSSF, the stakeholder engagement marks the first phase of the INSPIRE-NG project aimed at improving financial protection and access to quality healthcare for Nigerians in the informal sector. (NAN)
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Tags: Informal Sector Health Insurance NSSF Study