Government takes steps to merge digital identification with medical services, aims for universal health coverage by 2030

The Federal Government is incorporating trusted digital identity into Nigeria's health sector reforms to expedite Universal Health Coverage, enhance patient care, and broaden health insurance coverage for millions of Nigerians, with the initiative expected to improve healthcare delivery by linking digital identity with patient records, health insurance enrolment, disease surveillance, and service delivery nationwide.

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This development was reinforced during a strategic meeting between the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, following a presentation on opportunities created by the newly enacted National Identity Management Commission Act, 2025.

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Prof. Pate described the new law as a landmark reform that provides the legal foundation for a secure and trusted digital identity ecosystem capable of driving Nigeria's digital health transformation under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, enabling the integration of trusted digital identity into healthcare to eliminate gaps in patient identification and improve continuity of care.

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According to Prof. Pate, the system will also strengthen disease surveillance, improve health planning, and support evidence-based decision-making, while ensuring citizens' health data remain secure, and is expected to significantly boost enrolment and beneficiary verification under the National Health Insurance programme.

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The initiative aims to expand financial protection for millions of Nigerians and bring the country closer to achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030, with Nigeria's revitalised Primary Healthcare Centres currently recording about 45 million patient visits every quarter, highlighting the need for a trusted digital identity system to improve efficiency in managing the growing volume of patients.

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To accelerate implementation, the minister directed the immediate establishment of a joint technical working group comprising officials from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Health Data and Digital Health Coordination Office, relevant health agencies, and NIMC, tasked with harmonising implementation, monitoring progress, and developing performance dashboards to track results.

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Pate also stressed that the digital identity initiative must be inclusive, ensuring that persons living with disabilities and other vulnerable populations are not excluded from accessing healthcare services, in line with the Federal Government's commitment to building a more efficient and equitable healthcare system.

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Earlier, Engr. Coker-Odusote said the newly enacted NIMC Act provides the legal framework for secure digital authentication, interoperability, and trusted digital services across government institutions, reaffirming NIMC's commitment to partnering with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to provide the digital identity infrastructure needed to support ongoing health sector reforms.

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The collaboration reflects the Federal Government's whole-of-government approach to building a more efficient, transparent, and technology-driven healthcare system capable of delivering equitable health services to all Nigerians, with the digital identity initiative playing a critical role in achieving this vision.