The Federal Government of Nigeria says it will soon start funding 30 percent of the total cost of cancer care for patients to cushion the burden of expenses and ensure healthy living for Nigerians.

Ahmed Yahaya, Kwara State coordinator of National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), made the revelation on Wednesday. Yahaya spoke on behalf of the federal government at the stakeholders' forum of the Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs), Health Care Facilities (HCFs) and Ministries, Departmental and Agencies (MDAs), held in Ilorin, the state capital.

“Cancer drugs are very expensive, thus, the authority deemed it fit to save the lives of the citizens by not only treating patients but funding part of the cost of the drugs,” he said.

“It is a way of cushioning the cost of drugs for the cancer patients under the scheme. [Cancer drugs] are expensive drugs, so that is why the authority is partnering with ROCHE pharmaceutical company.

“NHIA will fund 30 percent of cancer drugs, the patient will contribute 20 percent, while pharmaceutical company will fund 50 percent of the cost of the drugs.”

About the forum, he said it is part of the agenda of the authority to organise and meet with stakeholders on best practices expected from them and the mandate of the Agency, adding that Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche, is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide.

Yahaya emphasized that the authority is revitalising and improving the mandate of the organisation to ensure all Nigerians are captured in the health scheme, even as he noted the new Act of the authority has ensured that diseases like cancer are captured in the scheme.

Also speaking, Adelaja Abereoran, the General Manager, North Central 'A' Zonal office for Kwara, Kogi and Niger, explained that the programme revolves around highlighting the new Act of the Authority to the stakeholders.

Abereoran added that it is expected to enlighten the NHIA partners on the new improved workings of the authority from the former NHIS.
He declared that health insurance was now mandatory for all Nigerians, and NHIA is expected to capture the citizens across board.

“The new Act of NHIA mandates that by law every Nigerian will get health insurance, and requires all employers and employees in the public and private sectors in the formal and informal sectors to be captured in the scheme,” he said.

He stated that this is a major step towards the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The General Manager of North Central of NHIA said that the new Act clearly defines the roles of the authority, including promoting, regulating and integrating health insurance schemes to all.

He informed that the authority had massively employed medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses and lab technicians across the 36 States of the federation, with the additional two offices situated in Lagos.

“One of the things we are doing is improving on our Quality Assurance Monitoring because of the increase in our personnel across the country.

“They go out to different senatorial districts to ensure healthcare facilities are maintaining standards so that enrolees are being treated, while we also get value for money, ” he said.