According to the World Health Organization, inequalities in access to quality health care persist in Nigeria. As discussions with local authorities intensify to revise the health insurance law, private entrepreneurs like MTN Nigeria see opportunities to be seized.
The mobile phone operator MTN Nigeria and the fintech specializing in health CarePay announced Tuesday, June 15, the signing of a partnership agreement to jointly develop health coverage in the country. Both parties announce collaboration with licensed health insurers and healthcare providers over the coming weeks to roll out various health insurance plans accessible through the web and the CarePay app.
Amaechi Ndili, Executive Chairman of CarePay Nigeria, sees “ this important partnership as fundamental to improving Nigeria’s health indices by improving access to quality health care for all Nigerians. […] MTN’s strong brand and reach, combined with CarePay’s proven healthcare technology, provide the perfect, trust-based platform that enables seamless transactions between patients, healthcare providers. and health insurers ”.
Lynda Saint-Nwafor, Director of Commercial Affairs at MTN Nigeria, explained “ that by simply dialing a shortcode, our customers can now access a plethora of health services. In addition, stakeholders within the health ecosystem can scale their services across the country, affordably and efficiently. It really is a big step forward ”.
The collaboration between MTN Nigeria and CarePay comes two months after the World Health Organization (WHO) lamented serious inequalities in access to healthcare in Nigeria. In April 2021, the United Nations agency revealed that over 73% of the Nigerian population make direct payments for health services and that only 6.8 million out of a population of over 200 million have access to health services. . WHO has also stepped up discussions with the Nigerian authorities on the revision of the law on national health insurance.
For MTN Nigeria, which is looking for new growth drivers, the digital health segment which is gaining in value with the Covid-19 crisis offers it new financial opportunities. CarePay can further strengthen its presence across a country where it left its luggage in 2018.