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By Abdul-Azeez Suleiman

The management and staff of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) are celebrating the fourth year anniversary of Professor Mohammed Nasir Sambo as Director General.

A short statement by the Media and PR Unit of the NHIA delightfully congratulated Professor Sambo on the occasion of his fourth anniversary in office as Chief Executive Officer of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and Director General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

The statement signed by Semper Fidelis on behalf of the NHIA staff members said Sambo had effortlessly divided history into two separate compartments having served as the last Executive Secretary of NHIS and serving as the first Director General of NHIA, both agencies being one and the same.

“In an organization that produced 12 CEOs in as many years, where a CEO went down every two years, you have proved bookmakers wrong.
“This you did by becoming the third CEO who is coasting home to a full tenure in the agency’s twenty-five years of existence.

“May God’s grace and wisdom to lead abound for you in every decision that you take,” the statement read.

Until his appointment as Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer by President Muhammadu Buhari, Mohammed Nasir Sambo was the Provost, College of Medicine, Kaduna State University.

Sambo is a professor of Health Policy and Management with a strong bias in Healthcare Financing.

Until recently, he was the 12th ES/CEO of the then National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). He is the first Director General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

An alunmus of the World Bank Institute For Healthcare Financing, he was a member of various Ministerial Technical Working Groups (TWGs) that shaped key health policies in Nigeria, including the Private Public Partnership Policy that birthed health insurance in Nigeria.

Prof Sambo is a trained public health physician and has been a visiting scholar to the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He has been a consultant to UNDP, UNICEF DFID, the British council, GTZ amongst others.

In the academia, he has served as Deputy Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Head of Department, Community Medicine, in the same institution as well as provost of the College of Medicine, Kaduna State University.

He also holds a master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy.

Sambo has supervised 14 fellowship programmes, 35 Master’s degrees in Public Health and Epidemiology and 4 Phd, in addition to having over 70 published articles in national and international journals. He is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Loans and Risk Management and Recipient of Doyen of Public Health Award of the year 2021.

His leadership acumen is critically proven in every endeavour. As provost of the KASU College of Medicine, where there had been a decade-long stagnation, he facilitated the graduation of students only within a little over a year of taking office.
Under his watch, the NHIA has embarked on a number of ground-breaking projects.

The e-NHIS, Medicine Supply Initiative, Human Resources Reforms, the NHIA Act to mention a few.

These have earned the organisation a number of awards: The Best Interoperability Award by NITDA, The Best Responsive Public Organization by Servicom.

Highlighting Prof Sambo’s accomplishment and innovation in NHIA, a recent citation had this to say:
“Prof Sambo distilled Industrial stability between the Labour centres and Management through systematic handling and strategic diplomacy. Now both parties observe respects for their roles.

“Determined to give direction to the health insurance in Nigeria, he midwifed the development and subsequent implementation of the 10-year Strategic Plan. Before then, the agency operated on whims of key players.

“Taking it out of the woods where the project stuck, he revamped and caused the development of the ambitious and massive digital transformation and integration of the Health Insurance ecosystem through the e-NHIS Automation enterprise system.

“Forseeing the future of health insurance in a decentralized environment, he inspired the architecture of the Health Insurance Under One Roof integration mechanism. Under this innovative arrangement, Federal and State Health Insurance agencies work in active synergetic collaboration for the purpose of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

“Understanding the long term potency of raising successors, he facilitated the NHIA Leadership Development Programme for Health Insurance ecosystem. Through this programme, assisted by International partners, different categories of staff and stakeholders have been trained.

“He facilitated the Development of Research Agenda for the Authority and Health Insurance ecosystem. The agenda was developed and unveiled, aimed at making the health insurance industry evidence-based and driven.

“Concerned about the beneficiaries’ access to quality care, Prof Sambo brought up the concept of NHIA Medicine Supply Initiative. By this arrangement, the infamous out-of-stock syndrome and unfavorable perception of drugs is put to an end.

“In response to complaints of debts that had clogged the system by some stakeholders, he developed of the Decentralized Reconciliation System between stakeholders. The maiden exercise yielded N2.5b in favour of the facilities.

“He can aptly be described as Purifier of the NHIA Business Process. Due to the absence of the business process, before the coming of Prof Sambo, issues of conflict and overlap of roles was the norm.

“Before his appointment, stakeholders had lost faith in the health insurance regulator. But flowing from his 3-Point Rebranding Agenda which puts Strategic Engagement with Stakeholders on the front burner, he has Restored the much needed confidence in the Health Insurance system.

Within this context, it is worthy to note that development partners have continued to prospect for areas of support for the Authority.

“He is a Strategic leader in the implementation of the NHIA gateway of the BHCPF. The fund remains a lifeline for the teeming underserved vulnerable persons. Over N14b has been disbursed for purchase of health care for the rural population.

“Reformer of the NHIA financial management system. He ensured the fulfilment of one of the presidential action points of making the financial system consistent with extant regulations. While achieving this, he saw to it that there was a clearing of a five-year audit backlog of the agency.

“Architect of massive strategic infrastructural investment in NHIA. Payment of rents on office accommodation properties make up a significant expenditure for agency. To close this expenditure tap, prototype structures are at various stages of completion up and down the country. Katsina and Kwara are to be delivered this month. Work has also began in the ultra-modern head office building in Abuja.

“He eminently qualifies as a goal getter for Mandatory social health insurance insurance, having chased to fruition the signing into law the historic NHIA Act. The trajectory of the pursuit of mandatory health began in 1999.

“Professionalising and internationlising NHIA through effective training programmes and mentoring. He has approved series of national and international trainings for staff in various fields. The highpoint of this legacy move being the PhD scholarship Programme offered by the Mahidol University in Thailand for three deserving staff.”

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