KEFFI, Nigeria – The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has reaffirmed its commitment to fully enforce and sustain its new one-hour authorisation code policy, aimed at improving service delivery for enrolees across Nigeria.
NHIA Zonal Director, Chris Okoh, disclosed this on Tuesday at a one-day stakeholders’ forum in Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The policy, which took effect on April 1, 2025, under the NHIA Act 2022, mandates Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) to issue authorisation codes to healthcare providers within one hour of receiving treatment requests.
Okoh explained that the reform was designed to eliminate delays in healthcare access, stressing that if HMOs failed to comply, hospitals should escalate the request to NHIA state offices to prevent patients from being stranded.
Other initiatives under the reform include free Emergency Maternal and Neonatal Care, a fistula treatment programme for women suffering urinary leakage after childbirth and expanded coverage for vulnerable groups.
Nasarawa State NHIA Coordinator, Mary Aliu, said enrolment rates remain high across formal and informal sectors. She described the one-hour policy as a “bold step towards achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030.”
