NHIA extends maternal health programme to neonatal care in Kano

By Nnasom David

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has expanded its maternal health initiative to include neonatal care, with the pilot launched in Kano State on 17 September 2025.

The programme, known as the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (CEmONC), builds on the maternal component that was introduced in July 2024 under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative. According to NHIA, the earlier phase has already provided emergency obstetric care to thousands of women nationwide, including more than 2,000 in Kano State.

During a visit to the Kano State Ministry of Health, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusif, welcomed the new phase and pledged the state’s full support. He said additional facilities suitable for neonatal care had been identified and urged participating hospitals to target a 95 percent survival rate for admitted newborns.

The management of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) also commended the programme, describing it as transformative for maternal health outcomes in the state. The NHIA delegation confirmed AKTH’s inclusion in the neonatal pilot, calling the expansion urgent and essential.

To formalize the process, a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding was signed between NHIA, AKTH, and Reliance HMO, which will serve as the third-party administrator responsible for enrollment, claims processing, and data reporting. The visit also featured the commissioning of AKTH’s Special Care Baby Unit, a facility for newborns requiring intensive care.

Officials said the initiative achieved three immediate outcomes: consolidation of maternal health gains, institutionalization of governance through MoUs, and strengthened state oversight with set survival targets for mothers and newborns.

They added that the next steps would include onboarding clinical and administrative teams, standardizing documentation, and expanding the neonatal programme to additional facilities as readiness is confirmed.

The Director General of NHIA, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, was commended for adopting what stakeholders described as a purposeful and evidence-driven approach to health reform. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, also praised the authority’s interventions and reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to reduce maternal and infant mortality.

NHIA said the expansion would extend financial protection to both mothers and newborns, reaffirming its commitment to reducing preventable deaths and moving Nigeria closer to Universal Health Coverage.

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