Korede Abdullah in Lagos
Starting April 1, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is implementing strict measures aimed at reducing delays in accessing healthcare services for enrollees.
In a statement by NHIA’s Acting Director of Media on Monday, in Abuja, Mr Emmanuel Ononokpono, said the initiative comes in response to “significant delays in treatment authorisation and code issuance,” which have negatively impacted beneficiaries’ experiences.
These adjustments are in line with the NHIA Act 2022 and were validated during a Stakeholders’ Meeting held in February.
Key to the new policy is a one-hour window for Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) to authorise care or issue service codes once requests are submitted by healthcare providers.
“Authorisation of care and code issuance by HMOs must not exceed one hour from the time providers submit requests,” Ononokpono stated.
Healthcare facilities are also required to swiftly send these requests to HMOs to minimise waiting times for patients. He disclosed that if an HMO cannot provide a code within that timeframe, it must issue a ‘no authorisation’ response within the same period.
He clarified that to enforce the directive, all requests and responses must be properly documented. The NHIA spokesperson added that in cases where the one-hour limit is exceeded, providers are instructed to go ahead with treatment and inform the NHIA immediately.
Ononokpono emphasised that the NHIA will verify the services rendered and urged enrollees to “report any delays or obstacles to timely access” directly to the Authority.
The measures are part of a broader effort to ensure enrollees receive “quality healthcare without unnecessary administrative bottlenecks.”
