Abuja:Nigeria must assume control of its health financing research agenda to foster reforms, enhance evidence-based policymaking, and improve health outcomes nationwide, stated Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA). He spoke at the inaugural Nigeria Health Financing Research and Learning Forum in Abuja, themed “Evidence and Learning for Nigeria’s Health Financing Future: Building a Locally Led Research and Learning Ecosystem.”
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Dr. Ohiri emphasized the need for Nigeria to define its own research questions, commission studies, and embed learning into implementation processes, while still maintaining international partnerships and focusing on domestic priorities. He highlighted the importance of building institutional capacity for continuous learning and reform, moving away from episodic research.
The NHIA plans to review five commissioned studies on embedded learning during the forum and draw lessons from Ethiopia, Ghana, and India to bolster policy implementation. Dr. Ohiri noted that Nigeria‚¬Å¡¬‚¬Å¾¢s health financing agenda prioritizes mandatory health insurance coverage, equity, quality healthcare delivery, and sustainability, though the current landscape remains fragmented with numerous government and private insurance schemes.
The forum also featured contributions from Dr. Pavel Ursu of the World Health Organization and Dr. Kumanan Rasanathan of the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, emphasizing the necessity of domestically driven learning agendas and the need for practical solutions to health system problems.
Dr. Yetunde Aluko from the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research and Fatima Zannah from the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) reiterated the importance of locally generated evidence in guiding reforms and decision-making to reflect the diverse realities in Nigeria. The forum, which began on Monday, is set to conclude on Tuesday, focusing on strengthening research, learning systems, and evidence-informed reforms across the country.