TheCable

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pfizer, a leading biotech company, to make drugs available, affordable and accessible to Nigerians.

Speaking on Monday during the signing of the MoU, Mohammed Sambo, director-general of NHIA, said the agreement is important to the agency’s journey toward achieving universal health coverage.

“The authority‘s medicine supply initiative is to ensure that medicine supply and other products are affordable, available, accessibly and acceptably for the consumption of all Nigerians,” he said.

“The signing is a major health status that will improve the health of Nigeria and with partnership with Pfizer, a committee will be formed to draw the roadmap for full implementation of the MoU.”

Olayinka Subair, Pfizer West Africa country manager, said as a global pharmaceuticals company, Pfizer leads the way in disease management, with the vision to bring the best medicines to the reach of the patients.

Subair said the MoU would bring into reality the company’s desire to reduce healthcare disparity among the rich and the poor, irrespective of the locations globally.

“Today, we are coming with critical care products, managing infection and in future. We will bring in other curative medicines that are globally released for treatment of various illnesses including cancer and other health situations,” NAN quoted him as saying.