The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in Nigeria has declared a strict one-hour deadline for the authorization of care and issuance of treatment codes by Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs).
This was revealed in a statement by the Ag. Director of Media and PR of NHIA, Emmanuel Ononokpono, on Sunday
He said the initiative aligned with the provisions of the NHIA Act 2022 and was agreed upon during a Stakeholders’ Meeting held in February.
According to him, it was part of ongoing reforms to strengthen the authority’s regulatory role and promote timely access to quality healthcare.
NHIA said where delays exceeded the one-hour limit, healthcare providers were instructed to go ahead with treatment and inform the NHIA immediately.
The agency also mandated that HMOs and providers kept proper records of all treatment authorization requests and responses.
The authority warned that sanctions would be imposed on any stakeholder found deliberately delaying authorization
This development follows rising complaints over treatment delays and inefficiencies in the health insurance system.
News Edited by Favour Owonibi