In a move to ease the financial burden on cancer patients, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has partnered with Roche Pharmaceuticals to make oncology treatment more affordable. This initiative was unveiled during an engagement with the management of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH).
The initiative, a cost-sharing arrangement stipulates that Roche Pharmaceuticals will cover 50 per cent of the cost of life-saving cancer medications, NHIA will contribute 30 per cent, and patients will only pay the remaining 20 per cent.
Dr. Dara Olatoke of Roche Pharmaceuticals described the partnership as a turning point in Nigeria’s fight against cancer. “Patients do not have to walk through this journey alone. Insurance is there, and partners like Roche are ready to support them,” she said, urging Nigerians to enrol in the national health insurance scheme to access the benefits.
The Head of Standard and Quality Assurance, NHIA-Kwara, Dr Saka Agboola, said the initiative targets vulnerable patients often excluded from care due to high costs. He stated that “Health insurance is now mandatory, and fairness demands that cancer patients be fully included.”
The Head of Surgery at UITH, Dr Suleiman Olaide, while welcoming the development, appealed for further reductions in patients’ costs, “20 per cent is still high for some, reducing it to 10 per cent or even 5 per cent will save more lives,” he said.
For patients who have long battled both the disease and its high treatment bills, this initiative offers more than financial relief, it offers renewed hope.
They actually release only one million, and once it is finished, you continue your payment alone