The National Pension Commission has revealed plans to launch the Pension Industry Healthcare Initiative, starting with a pilot phase in March 2026 that will serve 30,000 low-income retirees nationwide.

PenCom Director-General, Omolola Oloworaran, made the disclosure at the commission’s 2025 media conference in Lagos on Thursday, according to NAN.

The PenCare initiative aims to offer free health insurance to low-income retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme across Nigeria.

To oversee the program, PenCom has inaugurated the Board of Trustees for PenCare, tasked with implementing the industry-wide intervention.

“Retirement should be a season of peace, not a period defined by anxiety over medical bills,” the DG said.

“I am happy to announce that the pilot will be launched in March next year, and we hope to enrol about 30,000 retirees across the six geopolitical zones of the country.”

Oloworaran described PenCare as a landmark reform that supports the federal government’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda and enhances the welfare of pensioners.

She noted that the pension industry is being restructured to cater to retirees’ social needs, extending support beyond regular monthly benefits.