Cancer patients requiring radiotherapy will now receive financial support of up to N400,000 under a new cost-sharing programme introduced by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
The Director-General of the authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, announced the intervention in Abuja during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), saying the programme was designed to make cancer treatment more affordable for Nigerians.
Under the arrangement, eligible patients will receive a 50 per cent reduction in the cost of radiotherapy, with the NHIA’s contribution limited to N400,000 per patient.
Ohiri said the decision was driven by concerns over the rising cost of cancer treatment, which has prevented many patients from accessing radiotherapy, particularly those with serious or advanced cases.
He explained that the NHIA was working with oncology centres across the country to improve the availability and quality of radiotherapy services.
According to him, the authority also plans to accredit more treatment centres and strengthen cooperation with medical equipment suppliers and pharmaceutical companies to expand access to modern cancer care.
The NHIA boss said the intervention was not limited to radiotherapy, as the authority was also widening insurance coverage for other cancer-related services through its formal sector programme and the Group Individual and Family Social Health Insurance Programme (GIFSHIP).
He said patients could access a range of diagnostic services, including MRI and CT scans, mammography, ultrasound, histology, endoscopy and tumour marker tests.
Ohiri added that some cancer-related surgeries, including mastectomies and prostatectomies, as well as selected chemotherapy drugs, were also covered under different cost-sharing arrangements.
He said more than 200 cancer patients receiving treatment at seven tertiary health institutions across the country had so far benefited from the medicine cost-sharing programme.