Korede Abdullah 
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Federal Government has doubled the National Health Insurance capitation fee from ₦750 to ₦1,450 per person, in a major policy shift aimed at improving healthcare quality and expanding coverage to 44 million Nigerians by 2030.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate, announced the increase on Saturday, saying it aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and marks a milestone toward universal health coverage.
“In 2024, Nigeria broke its enrolment record with over 2.4 million new people insured, bringing total coverage to about 20 million Nigerians,” Pate said.
He explained that the new rate will enable healthcare providers to deliver consistent, quality care while closing long-standing funding gaps. “A major constraint in care quality has been the low capitation fee. We have doubled it to strengthen providers’ capacity,” he added.
Pate also revealed that fee-for-service rates were raised by 380 per cent to match service quality, while 120,000 health workers have been trained since 2023. Additionally, 2,500 new doctors, nurses, and community health extension workers have been recruited nationwide.
To enhance efficiency, the ministry introduced a One-Hour Referral Authorisation Code to speed up patient transfers between facilities.
The minister noted that reforms in the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) have boosted hospital visits from fewer than 10 million in 2023 to over 46 million by mid-2025.
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Oluwatobi Adu 
Oluwafunbi Bello 
