In The UK Everyone Working Must Pay NHIS Monthly,I Don’t Pay Anything When I Am Treated There-Ladipo

Prof. Oladapo Ladipo, an 85-year-old retired professor of obstetrics and gynaecology, has called on the Federal Government to require everyone with a bank account in Nigeria to pay N15,000 for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to make healthcare more affordable and accessible.

In an interview with PUNCH on Sunday, October 11, 2026, Ladipo said poor governance was partly responsible for the problems facing Nigeria’s healthcare system. He stated that the government had been slow to implement the National Health Insurance Scheme, adding that fewer than 15 per cent of Nigerians were covered by health insurance.

Ladipo said requiring bank account holders to contribute N15,000 to the scheme would enable them to access healthcare facilities across the country. He cited the United Kingdom as an example, explaining that workers contribute to the National Insurance fund and can access government healthcare services at little or no cost.

The retired professor urged the Federal Government to treat healthcare as a priority, noting that a healthy population would be more productive and innovative.

In his words, “In the UK, everybody who works pays a National Insurance contribution every month, and they have access to government healthcare facilities, often at little or no cost. I do not pay anything when I am treated because I paid into the National Insurance fund when I was working there.”

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