NHIA inaugurates the neonatal component of its CEmONC programme in Kano, aimed at improving emergency care for mothers and newborns across Nigeria.
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has extended its Comprehensive Emergency Obstetrics and Neonatal Care (CEmONC) Programme to Kano State, marking a significant step in providing free maternal and neonatal services to vulnerable populations.
In a statement issued on Monday, Acting Director of Media and Public Relations, Emmanuel Ononokpono, said the neonatal component of the initiative was inaugurated at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the facility.
Launched in August 2024, CEmONC is part of the Federal Government’s strategy to reduce maternal mortality and ensure that women, especially from low-income backgrounds, have access to life-saving interventions, including emergency Caesarean Sections.
NHIA Director General, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, noted that the neonatal pilot phase is already operational in four Lagos facilities and will now be administered in four hospitals across Kano. Represented by the Director of the Informal Sector Department, Dr. Sikiru Salaudeen, Ohiri revealed that over 200 facilities nationwide are implementing the maternal component, with more than 14,000 women benefiting to date. “About 40 per cent of these beneficiaries are from Kano State,” he stated.
At the event, the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, Prof. Abdurahman Suwaid, who represented AKTH Chief Medical Director, Prof. Abdurrahman Sheshe, praised NHIA for its intervention. According to him, “A total of 972 women have so far received care at AKTH under the programme, making the hospital the facility with the largest pool of NHIA beneficiaries nationwide.”
The inauguration, witnessed by the Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, also saw the NHIA sign MoUs with three other state-owned hospitals: Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital, and Khalifah Sheikh Isiyaka Rabiu Paediatric Hospital.
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