The Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF) has renewed its call for urgent policy reforms and increased financial investment in maternal health, with a focus on expanding health insurance coverage as a tool to combat Nigeria’s persistently high maternal mortality rates.
The call was made during the 7th edition of NSSF’s Fireside Chat Series, themed “Breaking Barriers to Maternal Health Equity: The Role of Health Insurance in Promoting Women’s Wellness,” held in Abuja. The event brought together key stakeholders from government, donor agencies, development partners, and the health sector to discuss inclusive, scalable strategies for improving access to maternal care especially in underserved communities.
In a press statement, NSSF’s Head of Marketing and Communications, Esther Anolu, emphasized that the forum served as a platform for driving meaningful dialogue and policy action.
NSSF Managing Director and CEO, Fejiro Chinye-Nwoko, expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s maternal mortality rate, which exceeds 1,000 deaths per 100,000 live births—one of the highest in the world. “Too many women are still uninformed, unregistered, and excluded from the health services they need to survive,” she said. “What we need now is policy implementation and financial commitment that truly reflect the urgency of this crisis.”
Panelists explored the role of health insurance as a critical lever for improving maternal outcomes. Mojisola Odeku, a Senior Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, highlighted the importance of donor partnerships in bridging gaps in women’s health services. Representing the Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Chima Onoka spoke on efforts to expand insurance coverage and digitize registration systems to ease access.
The Director and Head of the Family Health Department at the Federal Ministry of Health provided updates on national maternal health interventions, including free emergency cesarean sections and treatment for Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF) in over 20 states.
A pivotal moment came with the question: “Who pays for the health of the poor?” sparking robust discussions around the need for sustainable, government-subsidized health insurance schemes. Panelists emphasized that without targeted financial support, Nigeria’s most vulnerable women would remain excluded from life-saving care.
Preventive care also emerged as a core theme. Experts called for increased investment in mental health, contraception, routine screenings, and community health education—interventions that could reduce maternal deaths and overall healthcare costs.
NSSF also presented findings from its grassroots initiatives, including work in Ekiti State and the WeNaija Impact Cohort programme. These revealed ongoing barriers to care such as misinformation, high costs, and low trust in health systems.
Looking ahead, NSSF announced plans to synthesize key insights from the discussion into policy briefs aimed at guiding government and healthcare stakeholders. These briefs will recommend actionable, gender-sensitive reforms to make health insurance more inclusive and responsive to maternal health needs.
