The National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS and a Swiss drug giant, Roche Product have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU on cancer care reimbursement initiative.
Deputy General Manager, Press of NHIS Emmanuel Ononokpono in a statement in Abuja said this was part of efforts to bring hope to cancer patients in Nigeria. He added that the MoU outlined key areas that would significantly improve patients’ access to innovative cancer medicines.
Emmanuel explained that the partnership would be piloted in designated centres across the six geopolitical zones of the country. According to him, the arrangement allows both parties to partner on an innovative cost sharing mechanism by way of sharing a proportion of the cost of the medicines.
The Deputy General Manager said the partnership would ensure affordability of the drugs for patients at the treatment centers, adding that the health insurance regulator and Swiss drug giant will work assiduously to accelerate the drive towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage, UHC in Nigeria.
Also, General Manager of Roche Product Ladi Hammeed, described the partnership as a significant and commendable milestone for cancer care in Nigeria. He also expressed hoped that cancer patients would no longer have to deal with the catastrophic consequences of the diagnosis of the disease.
