The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has urged Nigerian women to prioritise early detection of breast cancer, while expanding financial protection for insured patients facing high oncology costs.
The call comes as Nigeria marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The latest Nigeria-specific estimates put annual new breast cancer cases at 32,278 and deaths at 16,332, according to the federal government and Nigerian cancer stakeholders, citing the Global Cancer Observatory.
Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Nigerian women and one of the country’s leading causes of cancer deaths. The federal government said in July that Nigeria accounts for about 10.5 percent of Africa’s cancer burden, placing it among the three most affected countries on the continent.
Buffer against financial shock
Under its Director General, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, the NHIA is seeking to strengthen health insurance as protection against the financial shock of serious illness.
For many families, the cost of comprehensive cancer care can quickly exceed household income, while treatment abroad remains beyond the reach of most Nigerians.
80% cut in drug costs
A key intervention is the expanded partnership between the NHIA and pharmaceutical company Roche, which reduces the cost of selected oncology medicines for eligible insured patients.
Under the arrangement, Roche absorbs 50 percent of the cost of selected medicines, the NHIA pays 30 percent, and the patient pays the remaining 20 percent.
The structure removes 80 percent of the medicine cost from the patient’s direct burden, potentially making the difference between sustained and interrupted treatment for households under economic pressure.
Radiotherapy and diagnostics
The authority has also introduced additional support for radiotherapy, ranging from up to N400,000 to full coverage for eligible patients. It continues to cover key cancer-related diagnostics, including:
- Mammography
- CT and MRI scans
- Bone scans
- Laboratory investigations
The broader package also covers components of screening, surgery, chemotherapy and follow-up care, depending on the patient’s eligibility and applicable benefits.
Redefining insurance success
Ohiri said the interventions point to a shift in how health insurance should be measured, away from enrolment figures alone and towards the protection coverage provides when families face costly illness.
“The critical measure of the insurance system should no longer be the number of Nigerians carrying insurance records, but whether those records provide meaningful protection when illness strikes,” he said.
More than 23 million Nigerians are enrolled in the national health insurance system, giving the NHIA a growing platform to scale financial protection against cancer and other high-cost diseases.
Wider government response
The NHIA measures form part of the Tinubu administration’s health reform agenda, coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare under Professor Muhammad Ali Pate.
Cancer prevention and control have been elevated as national priorities, with the federal government implementing the Nigeria National Cancer Control Plan 2026–2030. The plan covers prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, patient navigation, survivorship, research, data management and expansion of the oncology workforce.
The government is also upgrading six Oncology Centres of Excellence. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the centres at the following hospitals are already fully operational, with specialised equipment including brachytherapy machines:
- University College Hospital, Ibadan
- University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City
- University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu
- Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria
Other interventions include the Cancer Access Partnership programme, which provides 27 anti-cancer medicines in 48 formulations across 14 federal tertiary hospitals, and the Cancer Health Fund for indigent patients with breast, cervical and prostate cancers.
A step, not a solution
The NHIA said the interventions should be seen as steps towards a broader response, not a completed solution.
It urged women to pay attention to unusual changes in their breasts, seek medical attention promptly and use screening opportunities where available.
The authority stressed that reducing Nigeria’s breast cancer burden depends on earlier detection, wider access to effective treatment and ensuring that the cost of care does not push patients and their families into financial distress.
Late diagnosis can impose prolonged financial pressure on households, as treatment may require surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, specialised medicines and repeated diagnostic tests.
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