Comprehensive Guide To Health Insurance For Expats In Nigeria

Living in Nigeria as an expat can be a rewarding experience, but the local healthcare system can be challenging to navigate. Public facilities are often underfunded, and private care—while offering better quality—can be costly. That’s why having a comprehensive health insurance plan is essential for ensuring your family’s health and financial security.

In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about securing international health insurance as an expat in Nigeria, including healthcare system challenges, private insurance options, and how William Russell’s plans can offer you complete peace of mind.

How to get health insurance for expats in Nigeria?

There are two ways you can get health insurance as an expat in Nigeria. 

Options for expats seeking health insurance in Nigeria

1. Through brokers: Brokers can guide you through local and international health insurance options. They offer their services to individual expats or companies with expat staff.
2. Direct from providers: International providers, such as William Russell who offer private international health insurance.

When deciding between brokers and direct providers, consider your priorities. Brokers can provide a broad view of the market and help you compare multiple providers.

However, going direct to a trusted provider like William Russell simplifies the process, eliminates intermediary fees, and ensures a more personalised experience. William Russell’s plans are designed to meet expats’ unique needs, offering both flexibility and expert support.

How to get private international health insurance in Nigeria with William Russell

William Russell is a trusted, family-run international insurance provider offering expats in Nigeria:

• Flexible coverage options tailored to your needs
• Comprehensive plans that include hospital cover, cancer treatment, trips to the doctor and mental health cover
• Peace of mind with emergency medical evacuation if local treatment isn’t available

You can choose one of our four plans: Bronze, SilverLite, Silver and Gold (the more precious the metal, the more comprehensive the plan). For example, if you’re a student and want standard coverage in case of emergencies, you could choose the Bronze plan. Instead, if you’re moving to Nigeria for work and bringing your spouse and children, you can choose complete coverage and greater security with our Gold plan.

All plans provide coverage for serious illnesses or injuries. If you have a life-threatening or limb-threatening condition and the treatment you need isn’t available locally, we’ll evacuate you to the nearest suitable location.

You can personalise your plan so you’re sure to only be paying for what you’d need. There are also different areas of coverage you can choose. Discover which plan is right for you and explore a detailed breakdown of benefits, limited, and optional add-ons by comparing our international health insurance plans.

Why choose William Russell for your expat health insurance in Nigeria?

At William Russell, we pride ourselves on delivering a concierge-style service that puts you first. You’ll always talk to a real person who is specialised to handle your plan. With members in 160+ countries and a 95% renewal rate, we’re trusted by expats worldwide.

What sets William Russell apart?

Here are the unique benefits you’ll enjoy as a member of William Russell with expat health insurance in Nigeria:

• Personalised service – We’ll help you customise your plan to ensure you only pay for what you need
• Expert support – You’ll receive one-on-one contact with our in-house support specialists to assist you
• Global coverage – Access premium healthcare facilities, in Nigeria and worldwide
• Trusted partner – Backed by Allianz, ensuring financial security and reliability

How does health insurance work in Nigeria?

Quality healthcare in Nigeria has limitations. Many diseases that are rarely seen in the developed world still cause deaths in Nigeria, including cholera, tetanus and polio, malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis.

Though Nigeria has a universal National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), few hospitals offer the quality of facilities, equipment, and trained medical professionals you might expect in the western world. Key issues include underfunding, equipment shortages, and long wait times. In Nigeria, the key cities people go to for treatment are Lagos, Kano and Abuja.

Expats moving to Nigeria can purchase private international health insurance. Expat health insurance can cover your everyday medical needs while staying in the country, including coverage for expatriation to countries with better medical facilities for more serious health issues, such as life and limb-threatening conditions.

How does the Nigerian healthcare system compare to other countries?

Though the country has a universal healthcare system, public healthcare in Nigeria is severely underfunded. The Nigerian government only puts approximately 3% of the country’s GDP toward healthcare facilities, medication, research, and training. When you consider the average 9.7% of GDP that other countries worldwide put toward healthcare, you can see that the public health system in Nigeria may fall short of what you’re used to in your home country.

It’s important to understand how universal health coverage in Nigeria works and how the government funds it before moving to the country. This can help you decide whether or not to invest in private healthcare for you, your family, or your employees.

Is healthcare paid for in Nigeria?

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Nigeria’s government-funded universal health system, started in 1999 to provide accessible healthcare to all Nigerian citizens. Unfortunately, because of the lack of healthcare funding in Nigeria, the national system has limited resources and often cannot provide sufficient healthcare, even for minor conditions.

Who funds healthcare in Nigeria?

The government uses general tax revenue to fund the health sector in Nigeria. The healthcare system receives further health financing through:

• Donor funding
• A social insurance scheme known as the Formal Sector Social Health Insurance Programme (FSSHIP)
• Private funding

The FSSHIP works as a community-based scheme. It pools contributions from employees and employers, amounting to 1.75% and 3.5% respectively of the employee’s consolidated salary. The Formal Sector includes any public sector or organised private-sector business employing 10 or more people. It also includes the armed forces, the police, and other uniformed services. Contributions cover health care benefits for the employee, a spouse, and up to four biological children under the age of 18. They also cover students in full-time tertiary education.

As an expat, you (or your employer) will probably not be participating in the FSSHIP. This means you’ll incur out-of-pocket expenses for using Nigerian medical facilities.

How much does NHIS cost in Nigeria?

If you’re not eligible for the NHIS through your employer or educational institution, it’s possible to become a voluntary member of the programme. You can do this through the NHIS website.

It costs around US$35 to register as a voluntary contributor to social health insurance in Nigeria, plus US$23 per person you wish to cover. This fee will renew automatically every year.

Are hospitals free in Nigeria?

General hospitals and emergency health services are free in Nigeria for anyone covered under NHIS. However, the NHIS will give you the standard level of medical care, which may be below the standards of your home country.

3 know-before-you-go tips on healthcare in Nigeria

The NHIS is only available to those in full-time employment in private companies with 10+ employees and in public service roles, where employees contribute to the healthcare scheme. However, legal residents can contribute to the NHIS through a voluntary paid programme. As an expat, you may not be eligible to register for the NHIS, unless you’re a legal resident.

Despite having a national health insurance scheme, only around 4% of the Nigerian population have formal health insurance. With unemployment around 25% and many Nigerians making a living in the informal sector (e.g., in agriculture or manual labour), universal healthcare coverage is widely inaccessible and many people incur out-of-pocket costs.

With this in mind, here are 3 aspects you’ll want to consider when living in Nigeria as an expat:

1/ Healthcare in Nigeria might be expensive

Being Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria has one of the highest densities of medical doctors in West Africa. However, with just 3.8 doctors per 10,000 inhabitants, Nigerian medical services often cannot meet public demand.

Because of this, many Nigerians and expats in Nigeria have to pay for medicine and treatments out of pocket, which can be expensive. In 2019, healthcare made up approximately 6% of household spending – higher in rural areas than in cities.

2/ The quality of healthcare might not be top level

Even if you can access primary healthcare centres in Nigeria, you may not get the treatment or medicines you need. The quality of healthcare in Nigeria is poor for several reasons, including:

• Lack of government funding
• Poor pay for doctor and nurses (the best of whom seek employment in other countries)
• Regular strikes from healthcare professionals who want better pay and more investments in the healthcare sector

As a result, hospitals in Nigeria are unhygienic and often overcrowded, leading to infectious diseases spreading freely, with many Nigerians dying from diseases they contracted while in hospital.

3/ Private healthcare in Nigeria is a better option

Private healthcare in Nigeria is a step up from under-resourced public services, offering better-quality treatment in private hospitals and clinics. While it may still not reach the standards of care in your home country, it is often the most reliable option for expats.

As an expat living and working in Nigeria, consider investing in private international health insurance. Private health insurance will allow you to access Nigeria’s private healthcare, without having to worry about the excessive costs of emergency medical services or access to routine medications.

A good international insurance policy will also ensure access to emergency evacuation for medical treatment for more serious health issues, such as life and limb-threatening conditions that can’t be treated locally.

Choose William Russell for your international health insurance in Nigeria

Whether you’re in the planning stages or already on site, we hope you’ve found this guide on international health insurance in Nigeria useful. 

Getting an international health insurance plan from William Russell will give you the peace of mind that you can get the medical care you deserve when you need it.

We have over 30 years’ experience helping expats like you to get the best deal on their health insurance when moving to a new country. Our policies give you access to an extensive network of over 40,000 medical facilities worldwide, meaning you’ll always have access to the best quality medical care.

Speak to us today to find out more about how international health insurance from William Russell could give you and your family access to the best possible healthcare in Nigeria.