NHIA expands cover to cut cancer treatment costs

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in Nigeria has taken steps to reduce the financial burden of cancer treatment for patients and their families by expanding insurance support. This initiative includes shielding eligible patients from 80% of the cost of selected cancer medicines, providing increased support for radiotherapy, diagnostic tests, and other cancer care aspects.

The NHIA Director-General, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, emphasized that the aim is to ensure meaningful financial protection against high-cost illnesses rather than just increasing enrolment figures. The cost-sharing partnership with pharmaceutical company Roche covers 50% of the cost of selected oncology medicines, with the NHIA contributing 30% and patients paying the remaining 20%.

This arrangement effectively covers 80% of the cost for selected medicines. Additionally, the NHIA has introduced financial support ranging from N400,000 to full coverage for eligible radiotherapy patients, complementing existing benefits for cancer care. These measures are crucial given Nigeria's significant cancer burden, with an estimated 32,278 new breast cancer cases and 16,332 deaths from the disease annually.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.