HFN seeks full policy support for health sector PPPs

 

The Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN) has urged the Federal Government to move public-private partnerships (PPPs) in health from the trial level to full policy implementation.

This call was made on Monday during the 2025 Healthcare Leadership Conference in Lagos.

The event, held in partnership with WHX Lagos, had the theme: “Accelerating UHC and Health Sovereignty: Scaling Up Best Practices Through Public-Private Integration.”

The conference brought together government officials, lawmakers, private sector health leaders, and international partners.

During the event, HFN formally announced the appointment of Dr. Femi Akingbade, former acting Director General of the National Health Insurance Authority, as its new Executive Secretary.

According to HFN, his appointment is aimed at strengthening the group’s engagement with policymakers and pushing reforms that favour private sector involvement in national health plans.

HFN President, Njide Ndili, who is also the Country Director of PharmAccess Nigeria, said Nigeria’s health sector can no longer afford to ignore private players.

She said, “This is not just another conference. It is a strategy room. We are not only talking about service delivery. We want integration in financing, governance, and policy.”

Ndili added that the private sector provides most of the healthcare Nigerians receive, yet still gets sidelined in government planning.

She also mentioned HFN’s participation in key national discussions, including the NHFRA Committee, Power and Health Sector Implementation Committee, and the AMR task force.

Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo, who gave the keynote address, said the idea of public-private collaboration should not be mistaken for the government avoiding its responsibilities.

“Integration is not outsourcing. It is coordinated collaboration,” she said.

Banigo added that the Senate was working on reforms to ensure better maternal care, digital health policies, and expanded community insurance.

Also speaking, NHIA Chairman, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, said the NHIA Act already allows the inclusion of private hospitals and clinics into the national health insurance architecture.

He said, “What we have now is the legal framework. The job left is execution. We are working to merge financing, quality checks, and technology to cover more people.”

Yale Fellow, Kaakpema Yelpaala, said Nigeria must prioritise its tech infrastructure and data control to benefit from the global digital health movement.

He warned that if Nigeria fails to localise AI tools and control health data, it may fall behind in innovation.HFN seeks full policy support for health sector PPPs