By Chioma Obinna

To improve cancer care and reduce financial burden on patients, the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Ebute Metta, Lagos, on Wednesday launched the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA)–Roche Oncology Cost-Sharing Partnership aimed at expanding access to life-saving chemotherapy drugs across Nigeria.

With the scheme, cancer patients are expected to pay only 20 per cent for their treatment.

Speaking at the launch, Acting Managing Director of FMC Ebute Metta, Dr. Saheed Ogunme, described funding as the single greatest challenge facing Nigeria’s health sector, stressing the importance of initiatives like the NHIA–Roche partnership.

“If we examine our national healthcare structure, we’ll see that health insurance penetration in Nigeria is still extremely low. Coverage may be just 5–10 percent of our 220 million population, mostly in the formal sector. That is clearly unsustainable,” Ogunme said.

The Consultant Obstetrician welcomed the NHIA–Roche partnership as a much-needed intervention to close access gaps in cancer care and pledged full support from the hospital.

“FMC Ebute Metta promises to treat this initiative with the utmost priority. This collaboration presents a valuable opportunity to develop systems that can attract and absorb funding effectively,” he added.

Under the cost-sharing model, Roche will cover 50 percent, NHIA will pay 30 percent, while patients contribute just 20 percent of the cost of select chemotherapy medications. A ₦10,000 service charge per cycle will also apply.

Speaking, the Deputy Director at NHIA Headquarters, Abuja, Mrs. Oluwayemisi Femi-Akinbinu, explained that the partnership is part of NHIA’s broader Research and Supply Chain Initiative and focuses on expanding the reach of affordable cancer treatment across Nigeria.

“Oncology treatment is notoriously expensive. Through this model, we are reducing financial burden and improving access. The pilot phase helped us understand key gaps—like patients in Lagos needing to travel to Ibadan for chemo. This expansion from 7 to 24 centres is our response,” she said.

She further disclosed that the program is exclusive to chemotherapy treatment and does not affect NHIA’s standard coverage for other conditions such as malaria or hypertension. “This is not just a program, it is a promise of hope,” Femi-Akinbinu said.

Also speaking, the Healthcare System Partner-Policy Lead at Roche Nigeria, Mr. Babarinde Olayode, emphasised that the partnership was designed to shield patients from catastrophic health spending.

“Everyone here knows someone affected by cancer. Without insurance, care becomes unaffordable. This model enables early diagnosis, sustained treatment, and better survival outcomes. Patients who could only afford 3–5 cycles are now completing 17–18.

“We are not just improving cancer care. We are redefining health equity in Nigeria.
“Let’s ensure patients don’t wait unnecessarily for approvals or drugs. From the moment a patient enters FMC, they should be able to start treatment without stress,” Olayode urged.

The cost-sharing model, which began as a pilot in 7 Centres of Excellence, has now expanded to 24 treatment centres including FMC Ebute Metta, LUTH, UCTH Calabar, JUTH Jos, UITH Ilorin, and FMC Umuahia. It also includes two private providers.

The initiative also includes: Patient navigation tools to guide patients to the nearest accredited centre, standard-of-care protocols aligned with WHO guidelines, faster diagnosis turnaround times, under 60 days, training programs for pharmacists and oncology nurses, Custom-labelled medications for tracking and accountability.

NHIA is also proposing a Catastrophic Disease Fund to support coverage for cancer, renal failure, and sickle cell disease—pending executive approval.

Both NHIA and Roche emphasised the importance of partnership from healthcare providers.

To ease bottlenecks, Roche proposed establishing a co-located NHIA liaison office near the oncology unit at FMC for seamless patient onboarding, prescription, and payment coordination.

They expressed optimism that the NHIA–Roche initiative will become a sustainable model for tackling other non-communicable diseases in Nigeria.