NHIMA begins the extension of free health insurance coverage to the Poor and Vulnerable under the Social Cash Transfer

The National Health Insurance Management Authority, NHIMA, under the Ministry of Health, with the financial support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria [The Global Fund] has began the extension of free National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Coverage to the Poor and Vulnerable under the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) Programme run by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services. This is aimed at providing Financial Risk Protection to the poor and vulnerable who have no contributory capacity to contribute to the Scheme and are exposed to catastrophic and impoverishing health expenditures in accessing health services. The initial registration started in Ndola District of the Copperbelt Province.

Under this project, 16,000 households drawn from 7 districts [Lusaka, Kafue, Chongwe, Kabwe, Ndola, Kitwe and Kasempa] will be registered on the National Health Insurance Scheme with contributions paid by the Global Fund grant. Registered members and their families will access free healthcare services from any of the NHIMA accredited health facilities across the country. Each registered household will enroll up to 7 members, bringing the total project beneficiaries to 112,000. The registered members will access a comprehensive set of benefits under the NHIS Benefits Package without any out-of-pocket payments, thus ensuring and enhancing access to health services without financial hardship. These services will be accessed from both the Public and Private NHIMA accredited healthcare providers.

By linking the NHIS to the SCT, the government of Zambia will drive progress towards Universal Health Coverage and make possible Integrated Comprehensive Social Protection in line with the Social Protection Floors and the 8th National Development Plan, leaving no one behind.

This project will progressively move towards the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs:

1. SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere - Target 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable.

2. SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages - Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.

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3. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals - Target 17.10: Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals.

The registration of the SCT beneficiaries is being done with the Technical and Financial support of the International Labour Organisation Zambia Country Office who, under the support of the European Union supported NHIMA in the NHIS Actuarial Valuation for the estimation of the financial liabilities of the extension of NHIS Coverage to the Social Cash Transfer.