Cancer Patients To Pay Less As FG Set To Launch Health Management Fund

The Federal Government has disclosed plans to launch the Cancer Health Management Fund to promote accessibility and affordability of cancer treatment.

The World Health Organisation report, had shown that Nigeria in the year 2020, contributed 124, 815 new cases and 78, 899 deaths to the world cancer burden, as high cost of cancer therapies, limited access to funds for treatment limit patient chances of survival.

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Speaking during the launch of Upgrade Oncology by the Project PINKBLUE, Uche Nwokwu, representing the Coordinator of the National Cancer Control Program, said that the government has committed certain amount to support and promote accessibility and affordability of cancer treatment in Nigeria through the Cancer Health Management Fund.

According to him, the programme is aimed at reducing cancer medication by 50 percent of the original cost.

“The Minister of Health has approved a date for that launching. I won’t say it now until Mr. President concurs with the date. But it’s going to happen not more than two weeks from now.

“So, poor indigent patients will have access to the comprehensive treatment covering chemotherapy surgery and radiotherapy. We’re going to pilot it across six hospitals across the country. And as the fund expands, more hospitals will be added.

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“These are the initiatives of the government to ensure that our citizens have access to quality and as much as possible cheaper cancer medication,” he said.

He also explained that the government is deepening collaboration with hospitals to strengthen the Cancer Access Partnership Program.

The Program, which according to him is designed to train oncologists, pharmacists, and nurses in Nigeria to address the shortage of personnel in cancer treatment in the health sector, is already operational in 12 hospitals.

“The Program is already operational in 12 hospitals and the Ministry of Health has directed that we should expand it to eight more hospitals to make them 20 hospitals.

“So, in the next one or two months, we’ll be able to have these drugs in at least 20 hospitals across the country. These drugs involve virtually every kind of medicine used in cancer treatment from conventional chemotherapy to targeted therapy.”

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Nwokwu said some of the hospitals under the scheme are the National Hospital, Abuja; Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria; Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano; Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife; University College Hospital, Ibadan; Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos; the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.

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