ALIWA Class V Fellow (Karfi Kuo) and Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, is taking on one of Nigeria’s most urgent public health crises – maternal health. Under his leadership, the NHIA has launched an emergency maternal care program that ensures women arriving at hospitals with pregnancy complications receive immediate treatment, with no upfront payment required.
Since the program launched in October 2024, nearly 40,000 women have benefited; women who arrived with life-threatening emergencies like severe bleeding or complications requiring cesarean sections, and were treated free at the point of service while the NHIA reimbursed hospitals directly.
But Kelechi’s vision extends beyond emergency cover. He is reshaping how healthcare financing works in Nigeria by tying hospital payments to quality standards, deploying compliance officers, digitising accreditation assessments, and expanding insurance enrolment by 34% to 21.7 million Nigerians between 2023 and 2025.
Read more about Kelechi’s work to improve maternal healthcare here.