TheCable

The federal ministry of health says Nigerians living with cancer will now save up to 50 percent of treatment cost as it launches a pioneer chemotherapy access treatment (CAP) programme.

Speaking at the launch at the National Hospital, Abuja, on Tuesday, Olorunnimbe Mamora, minister of state for health, said the programme will increase access to high-quality essential cancer drugs and enable thousands of Nigerians to access care.

Mamora said CAP was a public-private partnership between the federal ministry of health, Clinton health Access Initiative (CHAI), the American Cancer Society (ACS), Pfizer, World-Wide Health Care and EMGE resource.

According to him, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that over 70,000 deaths from cancer are recorded yearly.

He said more than half of cancer patients in the country cannot access treatment as a result of the high cost of it.

Mamora said some cancer drugs are out of stock in public hospitals, compelling patients to obtain them from pharmacies where the prices “are out of reach”.

The minister lamented that the abundance of counterfeit medicine in the Nigerian market is worsening patients’ condition.

He, however, said CAP would enable cancer patients to access lower-priced, high quality treatment at hospitals and pharmacies, and reduce the burden of “out-of-pocket payments”.

He said the medications available under the programme are of the same quality as the ones received by cancer patients in the United States, Europe, Canada, Japan and Australia.

He added that the programme would provide immediate payment to participating pharmaceutical companies and drug distributors to ensure sustainability of the system and stock replenishment.

“This will enable Nigeria and other African governments to double the number of patients being treated with the same resources and reduce the catastrophic expenditure for patients paying out-of-pocket, ” he said.

“This is by reducing complexity in the distribution prices, stabilising prices, coordinating orders, streamlining registration of products and promoting the entry of international suppliers.”

He said the programme is being rolled out in seven university teaching hospitals including Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, and National Hospital, Abuja.

Others are Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, University College Hospital Ibadan and University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.

Mohammed Sambo, executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme ( NHIS), had announced that the scheme now covered some levels of cancer surgeries and chemotherapy.

The ES said innovative healthcare financing will open up resources for effective support for patients with capital-intensive conditions.