FG Unveils New Initiative to Slash Cost of Cancer Treatment by 50%

The federal government yesterday launched an innovative public-private partnership (PPP) to ensure affordable access to high quality chemotherapies in seven teaching hospitals across the country.

Speaking during the unveiling of the novel initiative, the Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunibe Mamora, said innovative partnership was to deliver life-saving chemotherapies for cancer treatment to seven teaching hospitals throughout the country.

He said as a result of the partnership, Nigerians are expected to save up to 50 percent of their treatment costs, enabling thousands of additional patients to access care.

According to him, “This new programme known as the Chemotherapy Access Partnership between the Nigerian Federal Ministry of

Health, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI), the American Cancer Society (ACS), Pfizer, Inc., Worldwide Healthcare, and EMGE Resources, Limited will enable people with cancer in Nigeria to access lower-priced, highquality treatments at hospital pharmacies.”

Mamora explained that medications available under the programme are of the same quality as those that would be received by patients in the

United States, Europe, Canada, Japan and Australia.

The initiative has been rolled out in seven university teaching hospitals

Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital; Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital; Lagos University Teaching Hospital; National Hospital Abuja; Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital; University College Hospital lbadan, and University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.