The National Health Insurance Authority has begun institutionalising Health Technology Assessment as part of efforts to improve healthcare spending and ensure that limited resources are allocated efficiently and equitably.

The Federal Government inaugurated a Steering Committee on National Health Technology Assessment on Wednesday in Abuja to assess the social, economic, organisational and ethical implications of health interventions and technologies.

Director-General of the NHIA, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, said the initiative would provide an evidence-based approach to determining which healthcare services and technologies should be prioritised, who should receive them, where they should be procured and what government and other purchasers should pay.

He said the approach would strengthen decisions on healthcare coverage, reimbursement, pricing and resource allocation as Nigeria works towards achieving Universal Health Coverage.

Ohiri explained that the initiative was part of wider reforms to strengthen the NHIA’s strategic purchasing function, adding that the Authority established a Strategic Purchasing Department and dedicated HTA Division in 2025.

The NHIA has since developed an HTA Framework, Reference Case, Process Guidelines, Deliberative Process, Committee Terms of Reference, Conflict of Interest Policy and Stakeholder Mapping and Analysis.

The Authority has also completed pilot assessments on kidney replacement therapy, colorectal cancer screening and sorafenib for advanced liver cancer.

Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, said the system should not be viewed simply as a means of reducing healthcare expenditure or restricting access to life-saving treatments.

He said its objective was to ensure that scarce resources were directed towards interventions that provide meaningful health benefits and value for money.

Pate said HTA should help Nigeria make decisions based on its own health needs and available resources rather than simply adopting approaches developed for countries with different circumstances.

He added that the system would assess medicines, diagnostics, medical devices, procedures and other interventions based on clinical effectiveness, safety, affordability, cost-effectiveness and equity.

The minister said evidence generated through HTA should ultimately influence decisions on what the country finances, purchases and provides to citizens, particularly as government expands health insurance coverage and considers financial protection for people facing costly illnesses.