Federal Government Trains Desk Officers on NHIA, Employee Compensation Acts

FCT Nigeria – The Federal Government has begun capacity building for Desk Officers of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) drawn from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), in the implementation of the NHIA Act, 2022, and Employee Compensation Act, administered by NSITF.

In her keynote address at the two-day Sensitisation Workshop for Desk Officers of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Patience Nwakuso Oyekunle, said the NSITF and NHIA play pivotal roles in the administration of social protection and health insurance schemes for workers both in the public and private sectors.

Oyekunle explained that the NSITF is mandated to provide social security protection including compensation for occupational hazards, while the NHIA is charged with the responsibility of providing access to quality and affordable healthcare through insurance.

As part of collaboration, she noted that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation was interfacing with stakeholders and Desk officers to deepen their understanding and facilitate the effective implementation of operational guidelines of the social security and health coverage policies.

On the essence of the workshop, Oyekunle said: “This gathering is both timely and strategic as it reflects the Federal government’s commitment to strengthening institutional capacity, promoting synergy among key social protection institutions, and ensuring that Civil Servants benefit optimally from the programmes and services these institutions are mandated to provide.

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“Desk Officers play a important role in the day-to-day interpretation and application of policies, processes, and procedures. They are operational backbone and the engine room of operational success of our MDAs.

“However, inconsistent understanding of operational guidelines has often led to delays, inefficiencies, and in some cases, poor inter-agency coordination.”

The Permanent Secretary further stressed that the workshop was designed to close the existing gaps; enhance their knowledge of the revised operational guidelines of NSITF and NHIA; as well as clarify roles, responsibilities, and areas of convergence across both agencies.

Other aims of the workshop, according to her, include to harmonise procedures to reduce redundancies and improve inter-agency collaboration; build capacity in the areas of documentation, data management, and beneficiary engagement;
and equip them with the tools to ensure transparency, accountability, and results-driven service delivery.

In his welcome address, Mr. Idris Aminu, Deputy Director, Occupational Health, Safety and Environment, said the workshop was both timely and strategic, as “NHIA is currently undergoing various reforms towards implementation of its mandate as stipulated in the new NHIA Act, 2022 and this has ushered in a new era in the nation’s journey toward achieving Universal Health Coverage.”

Aminu stated that the Employee Compensation Act, administered by the NSITF, continues to play a critical role in safeguarding the welfare of employees in the event of workplace injuries, diseases, or disabilities.