NHIS, Roche coy partners on cancer care

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and Roche Products Nigeria Limited have concluded arrangements to partner on Cancer Care Reimbursement initiative as a way of bringing succour to cancer patients and their relatives in Nigerians.

This is as the health insurance agency and leading drug maker signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the NHIS headquarters in Abuja, to create an enabling healthcare institutions that would engage in capacity building initiatives that is designed to support the health insurance ecosystem.

The signed MoU outlines key areas of partnership between the two organizations along three main themes aimed at significantly improving patients’ access to innovative cancer medicines.

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 to ensure affordability of the drugs for patients at the treatment centers.

In addition, the partnership enables both healthcare institutions to engage in capacity building initiatives that is 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 event, the General Manager, Roche Products Ltd., Nigeria, Dr Ladi Hammeed described the partnership as a significant and commendable milestone for cancer care in Nigeria and express optimism that cancer patients will no longer have to deal with the catastrophic consequences of the diagnosis of the disease.

He noted that funding for early treatment, comprehensive care inclusive of surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy improve treatment outcomes and ultimately the survival of the diagnosed patients would be addressed.

Similarly, the Executive Secretary 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, Bar. Blessing Nienge, noted that the ongoing reforms in the Scheme has as its central objective of making healthcare affordable, adding that the initiative is to ensure that drugs are available and affordable while receiving favourable attention.

NHIS is Nigeria’s foremost health insurance implementating 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 centers across the six geopolitical zones of the country.