Oluchi Chibuzor 

The Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) has called on the federal government to prioritise demand creation and policy alignment as strategic tools for unlocking sustainable funding toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.

This is as medical professionals have predicted that the new tax reform expected to kick in next year January 2026 will raise the allocation available to Basic Health Care Provisional Fund (BHCPH)

Speaking at the association’s annual general meeting in Lagos, newly elected HMCAN President, Dr. Abdulkadri Osuma, said the theme of the conference was carefully chosen to highlight the enormous opportunities in Nigeria’s healthcare landscape and the gaps within existing laws that could slow the sector’s growth if left unaddressed.

According to him, Nigeria’s large population presents vast opportunities for health insurance expansion that could significantly improve health indices such as maternal and child mortality.

However, contradictions between the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act and the recently enacted NIIRA law, he said, must be addressed promptly.

On his side,the immediate HMCAN President, Dr. Leke Oshunniyi,stressed that despite the complexities of achieving UHC in a country where over 100 million people are multidimensionally poor, health insurance managers remain central to the national health financing architecture.

On whether growing tax revenues will support health financing, Oshunniyi noted that Nigeria’s rising tax revenue is projected to hit N30 to N35 trillion in 2025 and higher in 2026 when new tax laws take effect—providing a massive opportunity to expand funding for vulnerable populations.

For the Chairman of the event, Dr. Kolawole Owoka, emphasized that the government must create demand around every health facility it builds, warning that many centres become abandoned because communities are not mobilised to use them.

He urged the government to adopt a clear model—either the British or German path—toward UHC and commit to it with consistency.