Cancer patients in Rivers State are set to pay a fraction of their treatment costs after the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) joined a national cost-sharing scheme with Roche and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
The initiative, launched on Thursday, reduces oncology drug prices by up to 80% for insured patients, a move experts say could save thousands from financial ruin.
Under the scheme, insured patients will contribute just 20% of medicine costs, with Roche covering 50% and NHIA funding 30%. Uninsured patients will see their bills halved, with Roche subsidising the rest.
“Patients can begin to access care immediately as of today,” said Terseer Sar, Head of Access and Health Policy at Roche Product Nigeria Limited in a statement on Friday. “Our aim is to bring affordable cancer care to Nigerians so they can treat the disease without going into poverty.”
Sar described cancer as a “financially catastrophic illness”, warning that many Nigerians are forced to sell property or abandon treatment due to cost.
NHIA’s Rivers State Coordinator, Itodo Chris, pledged the programme’s sustainability. “The fear that NHIA will not continue to pay its counterpart funds should not arise. We are prepared to ensure people have access to healthcare,” he said.
With about 215,000 residents already enrolled in NHIA schemes, Chris urged more sign-ups, stressing that coverage is open to everyone, not just civil servants.
UPTH’s Chief Medical Director, represented by Prof. Braimoh Bashiru, hailed the partnership as “a lifeline”. He noted that NHIA’s N38,000 annual plan gives patients access to top-tier facilities nationwide.
The scheme now operates in 17 centres nationwide, aiming to bring life-saving oncology treatment within reach of more Nigerians.
