The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has launched the Tertiary Institution Social Health Insurance Programme (TISHIP) for its students, a move aimed at improving access to quality healthcare.
The launch took place on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at the University’s Senate Building, Jabi, Abuja.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters, said the programme had been long overdue, adding that NOUN’s decision to implement it now reflects the university’s unique considerations.
“It has taken us this long to be able to convince ourselves that, firstly, we need to engage the statutory requirements as enacted according to the Act of the National Assembly and also decided that it is high time we put the health and safety of our students in our heart and that’s the reason why we decided to go ahead with the implementation of this platform,” he said.
He further explained that the selection of the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) was done transparently. “The university is operating on a very clear and open policy and the selection of the Health Maintenance Organization was done as transparent as possible,” Prof. Peters said.
Highlighting the nationwide coverage of the programme, he noted, “Due to the widespread of our coverage in the country we cannot restrict the HMO to one organisation alone. We have to find geo-political coverage for our HMOs and with the new university clinic setup, the TISHIP has officially commenced.”
On the cost to students, the Vice-Chancellor reassured them: “For the students, I want to assure you that NOUN is not going to charge you above what is required of us to charge. This health programme is for the good of the students.”
The registration fee for the scheme has been set at N15,000.
Students will also receive a dedicated health ID card, separate from the standard student ID, which must be presented to access healthcare services.
“This ID card will be given to you by the HMOs through which you will use to have access to the healthcare providers. Without the ID card you cannot have access to their services and also the registration is very important because you paid for it,” Prof. Peters added.
He urged students to register with the HMOs available in their respective geo-political zones to fully benefit from the programme.
