Mary Nnah
Ultimate Health Management Services has formally launched U-Health GIFSHIP, a new social health insurance package aimed at extending affordable healthcare to Nigerians in the informal sector and small and medium-scale businesses across the country.
Speaking at the launch in Ikeja recently, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ultimate Health HMO, Otunba Lekan Ewenla, described the product as a bold step toward achieving Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria.
GIFSHIP, which stands for Group, Individual and Family Social Health Insurance Programme, was originally developed as the sole actuarially priced benefit package for federal civil servants and made mandatory for all federal workers since the commencement of the National Health Insurance programme in 2005.
Ewenla explained that the federal government’s decision at the time was to convert the 10% medical allowance for civil servants into a health insurance premium.
According to him, while about 15% of Nigerians are in the formal sector, 85% operate in the informal sector and have remained largely excluded from structured health coverage.
He said the unpacking and denomination of the federal civil servants’ benefit package was designed in collaboration with the then National Health Insurance Scheme, now NHIA, to make healthcare affordable, accessible, and equitable for market associations, transport unions, artisans, and SMEs.
“Groups like the Iyalojas of different markets, NURTW members, Chambers of Commerce, spare parts dealers, mechanics, beauticians, and others can now key into this package,” Ewenla said.
He added that the product is strongly regulated by the NHIA, with an annual premium fixed at ₦38,718 per person and non-negotiable.
Under the operational guidelines, Ultimate Health will pay ₦1,450 capitation per person per month to healthcare providers and utilize ₦700 for fee-for-service
Ewenla said the launch was also aimed at strengthening relationships with healthcare providers through systematic pooling of enrollees to guarantee volume that enables quality service delivery at the primary care level.
He stressed that prompt payment of hospital bills would be central to the model, noting that an HMO cannot expect providers to deliver quality care when bills are delayed.
In an interview after the event, the Ultimate Health boss said the company had already been enrolling informal sector operators and small companies on the same package for the past four to five years, including Golden Tulip Hotel Ibadan and Galkoa Hospital in Kaduna.
He said the formal launch was to take ownership and scale the product with more innovation, including installment premium payment and flexibility in the choice of hospitals.
Families can also choose two different hospitals, with women of childbearing age able to select facilities managed by obstetricians.
Addressing the challenge of access, Ewenla noted that many Nigerians spend medical allowances immediately and have nothing left when illness occurs.
“Let’s face reality. Nobody can heal anybody with prayers. You must first assess care and then back it up with prayer for God to heal you,” he said.
He further explained that the waiting period under NHIA guidelines is between 60 and 90 days, but Ultimate Health will reduce it to 30 days for groups that enroll up to 2,000 members at once, to encourage mass participation while managing risk.
He emphasized that health insurance is a statutory responsibility for any employer with five or more staff, and urged SMEs to convert medical allowances into premiums instead of leaving workers exposed.
“The main ocean where we need to pull the trawler is in the informal sector,” Ewenla said. “With as little as ₦38,718 per person per annum, Nigerians can begin to access care. That is what drives success globally – innovation and flexibility.”
He concluded by thanking stakeholders, board members, staff, and healthcare providers for supporting what he called a history-making event for Nigeria’s health insurance industry. Enrollment into U-Health GIFSHIP has already commenced.
