Cancer patients at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) can now access vital oncology medications at just 20 percent of the original cost, following the introduction of an 80 percent subsidy by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in partnership with pharmaceutical company Roche.
The initiative, unveiled during a sensitisation and pre-implementation programme in Jos, marked the formal onboarding of JUTH into the NHIA-Roche Oncology Cost-Sharing scheme.
According to NHIA Assistant Director, Dr. Ugochi Ozoilo, the intervention forms part of the Federal Government’s wider efforts to enhance access to treatment for cancer patients while bridging equity gaps in the healthcare system.
Ozoilo explained that the partnership is deliberately structured to ease the crushing financial burden associated with cancer treatment.
“Roche covers 50 percent of the drug cost, NHIA contributes 30 percent, and NHIA-enrolled patients pay only 20 percent. Those not enrolled will pay 50 percent, which is still a major reduction. This will significantly improve affordability and treatment outcomes for patients across the country,” she stated.
She further noted that the model will not only reduce out-of-pocket expenses but will also encourage greater enrolment in NHIA. Consequently, more Nigerians would qualify for subsidised access to high-cost oncology drugs that were once out of reach.
Also speaking, Mr. Sar Terseer, Roche’s Head of Access and Policy, underscored that the company’s goal goes beyond cost reduction.
“Our aim is to protect patients from the financial catastrophe that often follows a cancer diagnosis. With health insurance support, we have seen patients remain on medication up to 17 or 18 cycles, compared to just three cycles before the pilot scheme due to severe financial constraints. This collaboration has already demonstrated improved survival outcomes,” he said.
Terseer elaborated that, under the arrangement, patients would pay as little as ₦10,000 per treatment cycle at JUTH. He described the scheme as a sustainable model that combines equity, early diagnosis, and patient navigation while setting a precedent for future public-private partnerships in healthcare delivery.
In his remarks, the Chief Medical Director of JUTH, Dr. Pokop Bupwatda, represented by the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, Dr. Josiah Njem, hailed the initiative as “a game changer for cancer care in Plateau State.”
He emphasized that the programme would ease the plight of patients struggling to access oncology drugs and offer hope for improved survival rates.
Additionally, the Coordinator of the Plateau State Office of NHIA, Mrs. Simi Pwajok, reiterated the agency’s commitment to partnerships that make critical medications more affordable.
She praised Roche’s extension of support to JUTH as a laudable move that will bring direct relief to countless families.
The partnership now places JUTH among the 24 centres nationwide benefiting from Roche’s cost-sharing model, up from just seven during the pilot phase, demonstrating what stakeholders described as a transformative step in public-private collaboration for healthcare access in Nigeria.
