The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and Roche Products Nigeria Limited have concluded arrangements to partner on cancer care reimbursement initiative.
The foremost health insurance agency and leading drug maker have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Abuja.
Broadly, the document outlines key areas of partnership between the two organisations along three main themes aimed at significantly improving patients’ access to innovative cancer medicines.
Critically, 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. Expectedly, this will ensure the affordability of the drugs for patients at the treatment centres.
Additionally, the partnership enables both healthcare institutions to engage in capacity building initiatives that are designed to support the health insurance ecosystem.
Ultimately, the health insurance regulator and Swiss drug giant will work assiduously to accelerate the drive towards the attainment of Universal Healthealth Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.
Speaking at the occasion, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NHIS Prof Mohammed Sambo stated that the Scheme puts an invaluable premium on strategic stakeholders in the execution of its mandate to bring affordable and quality healthcare to all Nigerians, adding that the implementation of its ten-year strategic plan was on course.
The Executive Secretary who was represented by the General Manager, Legal Services, Blessing Nienge, noted that the ongoing reforms in the scheme have as its central objective the making healthcare affordable, adding that the initiative to ensure that drugs were available and affordable was receiving favourable attention.
Earlier, the General Manager, Roche Products Ltd, Nigeria, Dr Ladi Hammeed, while described the partnership as a significant and commendable milestone for cancer care in Nigeria.
He expressed optimism that cancer patients will no longer have to deal with the catastrophic consequences of the diagnosis of the disease.
He further noted that funding for early treatment, comprehensive care inclusive of surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy improves treatment outcomes and ultimately the survival of the diagnosed patients.
NHIS is Nigeria’s foremost health insurance implementing agency while Roche is a leading biotech company, with differentiated and innovative medicines in various disease areas, including oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and the central nervous system.
The partnership will be piloted in designated centres across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
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