The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has called for earlier detection and treatment of breast cancer as the disease claims an estimated 16,332 lives and records 32,278 new cases in Nigeria annually.

The Authority said the figures underscored the urgent need for women to take breast cancer screening seriously, warning that delayed diagnosis could compound the health and financial burden on patients and their families. The call came as Nigeria joined the global community to mark World Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with the NHIA highlighting efforts to reduce the cost of cancer treatment and expand access to diagnosis and care.

Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Nigerian women and one of the country’s leading causes of cancer deaths. Nigeria also accounts for about 10.5 per cent of Africa’s cancer burden, according to figures disclosed by the Federal Government in July. For many patients, the financial burden is compounded by the cost of repeated diagnostic tests, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and specialised medicines.

To address the challenge, the NHIA, under the leadership of its Director-General, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, has expanded its interventions for cancer and other high-cost illnesses. Under its partnership with Roche, eligible insured patients now receive an 80 per cent reduction in the cost of selected oncology medicines, with Roche covering 50 per cent, NHIA 30 per cent and patients paying the remaining 20 per cent.

The Authority has also introduced support ranging from N400,000 to full coverage for eligible radiotherapy patients, in addition to existing benefits covering mammography, CT and MRI scans, bone scans, cancer-related laboratory and diagnostic tests and radiotherapy. Cancer-care packages also include elements of screening, surgery, chemotherapy and follow-up care, depending on the applicable benefit package.

Ohiri said the development represented a broader shift in the purpose of health insurance, arguing that the effectiveness of the system should be judged by the protection it provides when Nigerians fall seriously ill.

“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.

With more than 23 million Nigerians enrolled in the national health insurance system, the NHIA said the expanding coverage provides a platform for extending financial protection against cancer and other high-cost diseases. The interventions are part of the wider health reform agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare under Professor Muhammad Ali Pate.

The Federal Government is implementing the Nigeria National Cancer Control Plan 2026–2030, which focuses on prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, patient navigation, survivorship, research, data management and strengthening the oncology workforce. Government is also upgrading six Oncology Centres of Excellence across the country, with the Federal Ministry of Health saying centres at UCH Ibadan, UBTH Benin, UNTH Enugu and ABUTH Zaria are already fully operational, with specialised equipment including brachytherapy machines.

The Cancer Access Partnership programme also provides 27 anti-cancer medicines in 48 formulations across 14 federal tertiary hospitals, while the Cancer Health Fund supports indigent patients with breast, cervical and prostate cancers.

The NHIA said, however, that the measures were not the end of the country’s cancer response, urging women to be alert to changes in their breasts, seek medical attention promptly and use screening opportunities where available.

The Authority said reducing the country’s breast cancer burden would ultimately depend on stronger awareness, earlier diagnosis, wider access to treatment and financing that prevents cancer from pushing affected families into financial hardship.