The National Health Insurance Authority has expanded financial protection for cancer patients, with eligible beneficiaries set to receive up to 80 percent coverage on the cost of selected oncology medicines.
The NHIA disclosed this in a statement on Sunday to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, saying the intervention was aimed at reducing the financial burden of cancer treatment on patients and their families.
Under an expanded cost-sharing partnership with pharmaceutical company Roche, the company will bear 50 per cent of the cost of selected cancer medicines, while the NHIA contributes 30 per cent and eligible patients pay the remaining 20 per cent.
The authority also announced additional support of up to N400,000, and in some cases full coverage, for eligible radiotherapy patients.
The expanded benefits include mammograms, CT and MRI scans, bone scans, cancer-related laboratory and diagnostic tests, and radiotherapy. Depending on the applicable insurance package, beneficiaries may also receive support for screening, surgery, chemotherapy, and follow-up care.
NHIA Director-General Dr. Kelechi Ohiri said the success of health insurance should be measured by the financial protection it provides when people fall ill, rather than simply by the number of people enrolled.
The authority said more than 23 million Nigerians are currently enrolled in the national health insurance system. It said the growing enrollment provides a platform for extending financial protection for cancer and other high-cost diseases.
The expansion comes amid Nigeria’s significant cancer burden. Data from the Global Cancer Observatory show that breast cancer recorded 32,278 new cases among Nigerian women, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the group.
The Federal Government has also said Nigeria accounts for about 10.5 percent of Africa’s cancer burden and is targeting a 30 percent reduction in the country’s burden by 2030.
The measures are part of wider efforts under Nigeria’s National Cancer Control Plan 2026–2030, which focuses on prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, financing, research, and expansion of the oncology workforce.
The Federal Ministry of Health said the government is also upgrading six oncology centres of excellence, while the Cancer Access Partnership provides 27 anti-cancer medicines in 48 formulations across 14 federal tertiary hospitals.
The NHIA urged women to pay attention to changes in their breasts, seek medical advice promptly, and take advantage of available screening services, stressing that early diagnosis and better access to treatment are essential to reducing cancer deaths and financial hardship.
