Maiduguri: Roche, an International pharmaceutical company, in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), has unveiled the official launch of an 80 per cent price cut on cancer drugs at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).
Mr Babarinde Olayode, Policy Lead at Roche International, announced on Tuesday.
Olayode said that the initiative, which was designed and implemented in partnership between the company and NHIA, aimed to provide access to life-saving cancer care for patients enrolled under NHIA at a reduced cost of 80 per cent.
Olayode said the initiative was currently being implemented in 24 centres, including UMTH nationwide, making it easier for cancer patients under health insurance to access quality medication at an affordable 20 per cent cost.
“The opportunity for the cancer patients is that today they can access medication at just 20 per cent of the cost.
“Roche will do 50 per cent, NHIA will do 30 per cent, and a patient is going to pay only 20 per cent. This is a subsidy and a financial protection for the patient,” he said.
Olayode said that the initiative targeted breast, cervical, prostate and other cancers, which account for a significant number of cancer-related deaths in the country.
He said that the offer was for everyone who had been diagnosed with cancer and was ready to access the 80 per cent subsidy, provided the person was an NHIA enrollee.
According to him, if the patient has not been enrolled in the NHIA scheme, they could receive a 50 per cent subsidy from Roche and cover the remaining 50 per cent.
Speaking on behalf of NHIA, Hajiya Sa’adatu Abdulwahab, an Assistant Director, encouraged cancer patients who were not insured to join the basic healthcare funds in the state and take advantage of the 80 per cent subsidy.
In his remarks, Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, the Chief Medical Director of UMTH, lauded the efforts of Roche and the NHIA in providing cancer patients with affordable access to quality medication.
Ahidjo, however, urged the NHIA to extend its generosity to other specialised areas, adding that UMTH alone has about eight specialised centres which also needed the same attention given to cancer.
Cancer remains a significant public health challenge in Nigeria, with thousands of new cases recorded annually.
