Zambia Launches Nationwide Health Insurance Scheme Registration and Card Distribution
The Zambian government, through the Ministry of Health, has officially launched the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIMA) Nationwide Membership Registration and Card Distribution campaign at Chifubu Level 1 Hospital in Ndola, Copperbelt Province. This initiative is supported by the Global Fund.
Health Minister Sylvia Masebo, speaking at the launch, highlighted the need to increase the current 23 percent registration rate to the targeted 100 percent.
She emphasized that higher enrollment is crucial for building a resilient health insurance fund to finance health services for all beneficiaries.
“The mass registration crusade through NHIMA aims to ensure that all Zambians are covered, leaving no one behind,” Ms. Masebo stated, urging citizens to take advantage of the one-off July 2024 campaign, which aims to capture at least 50 percent of Zambia’s population.
Ms. Masebo also warned against abuses of the national health insurance scheme by both private hospitals and citizens seeking to defraud the government. She stressed that offenders would face severe penalties.
NHIMA Director General Michael Njapau reported that, with technical and financial support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Global Fund, the authority has been registering poor and vulnerable individuals. In Ndola District alone, around 10,000 people have been enrolled under the Social Cash Transfer program.
He also announced plans to ensure NHIMA-registered facilities are available in all 116 districts nationwide.
Wellington Chibebe, ILO Country Director, praised the scheme’s progress in providing financial risk protection and enhancing equitable access to health services for all Zambians.
He noted that the NHIMA aligns with ILO Convention 102 and Recommendation 202, reflecting international standards.
