Cancer patients to get up to N400,000 radiotherapy support from NHIA

Cancer patients requiring radiotherapy will now obtain monetary support of up to N400,000 beneath a brand new cost-sharing programme launched by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

The Director-General of the authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, introduced the intervention in Abuja throughout an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), saying the programme was designed to make most cancers remedy extra reasonably priced for Nigerians.

Under the association, eligible patients will obtain a 50 per cent discount in the price of radiotherapy, with the NHIA’s contribution restricted to N400,000 per affected person.

Ohiri mentioned the choice was pushed by considerations over the rising value of most cancers remedy, which has prevented many patients from accessing radiotherapy, significantly these with critical or superior circumstances.

He defined that the NHIA was working with oncology centres throughout the nation to enhance the provision and high quality of radiotherapy companies.

According to him, the authority additionally plans to accredit extra remedy centres and strengthen cooperation with medical gear suppliers and pharmaceutical corporations to develop entry to trendy most cancers care.

The NHIA boss mentioned the intervention was not restricted to radiotherapy, because the authority was additionally widening insurance coverage protection for different cancer-related companies by means of its formal sector programme and the Group Individual and Family Social Health Insurance Programme (GIFSHIP).

He mentioned patients may entry a spread of diagnostic companies, together with MRI and CT scans, mammography, ultrasound, histology, endoscopy and tumour marker checks.

Ohiri added that some cancer-related surgical procedures, together with mastectomies and prostatectomies, in addition to chosen chemotherapy medicine, had been additionally coated beneath totally different cost-sharing preparations.

He mentioned greater than 200 most cancers patients receiving remedy at seven tertiary well being establishments throughout the nation had thus far benefited from the drugs cost-sharing programme.