Cancer Patients to Get Up to N400,000 Radiotherapy Support from NHIA

Cancer patients requiring radiotherapy will receive financial assistance of up to N400,000 under a new cost-sharing programme introduced by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

The Director-General of the NHIA, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, disclosed the initiative in Abuja, explaining that it was designed to reduce the financial burden associated with cancer treatment and improve access to essential care.

Under the programme, eligible patients will receive a 50 per cent reduction in the cost of radiotherapy, while the NHIA’s contribution will be capped at N400,000 per patient.

Ohiri said the intervention was prompted by the increasing cost of cancer treatment, which has made it difficult for many Nigerians to access radiotherapy, particularly patients requiring advanced or prolonged treatment.

He explained that the NHIA was collaborating with oncology centres across the country to improve the availability and quality of radiotherapy services.

According to him, the authority is also working to accredit additional treatment centres and strengthen partnerships with medical equipment suppliers and pharmaceutical companies to expand access to modern cancer care.

The NHIA chief said the initiative formed part of broader efforts to increase health insurance coverage for cancer-related services. He noted that beneficiaries under the formal sector programme and the Group Individual and Family Social Health Insurance Programme could access several diagnostic and treatment services.

Covered diagnostic services include magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography 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 medicines, were also covered through different cost-sharing arrangements.

He disclosed that more than 200 cancer patients receiving treatment at seven tertiary health institutions had already benefited from the NHIA’s medicine cost-sharing programme.

The authority is expected to continue expanding partnerships with healthcare providers and other stakeholders as part of efforts to make cancer treatment more affordable and accessible to Nigerians.

The latest intervention comes amid growing concerns over the financial burden of cancer treatment and the challenges many patients face in accessing specialised care.