The Managing Director of Ultimate Health, Dr. Lekan Ewenla, has called for the introduction of mandatory health insurance coverage for students in all tertiary institutions across Nigeria, describing it as vital for improving nationwide healthcare access.
Speaking during the company’s 14th Annual General Meeting held in Abuja, Dr. Ewenla stated that enforcing compulsory health insurance among students would bolster the country’s risk pool and advance the goal of universal health coverage.
“There are over 20 million youths in tertiary institutions. If we get just a fraction enrolled, the risk pool will be strengthened,” he said.
Ewenla disclosed that Ultimate Health is prepared to spearhead this initiative and has already initiated discussions with the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to move the proposal forward. He noted that the push for compulsory student health insurance aligns with the provisions of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act of 2022, which offers a legal framework for achieving universal health coverage in Nigeria.
He urged the NHIA to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Education and regulatory bodies such as the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) to ensure all students in tertiary institutions are enrolled in health insurance schemes.
Dr. Ewenla further observed that the current ₦2,000 annual premium under the tertiary scheme is inadequate and requires review to sustain quality healthcare delivery.
In addition to advocating policy reforms, Dr. Ewenla announced plans by Ultimate Health to deploy a digital pre-booking system aimed at reducing waiting times at healthcare facilities.
He explained that through a real-time digital scheduling platform, enrollees can notify their HMO and hospitals in advance of their visits, ensuring faster and more efficient service delivery.
“We’ve reduced the average waiting time to 10 minutes and aim to get it down to five minutes. It’s all about dignity in care,” he said.
Addressing concerns over enrollees being instructed to purchase medications outside health facilities, Dr. Ewenla emphasized that such practices violate the provisions of the National Health Insurance Act.
“On the health insurance programme, I want to say it loud and clear. There is no room for drugs to be procured by our enrollees outside the facility. I’m repeating it. There is no room for that to be done,” he declared.
He explained that under the national health insurance framework, health facilities serve as primary risk managers and receive 65% of the capitation paid to them specifically for procuring and warehousing medications for enrollees.
“The facility is to procure the required medications listed on the NHI drug list for warehousing, to give to those who seek care. There is no room for prescriptions to be given to anyone to go and buy their medication,” he stressed.
Dr. Ewenla reaffirmed Ultimate Health’s commitment to adopting global best practices and ensuring dignified, efficient healthcare services for all enrollees.
