Igbajo Achievers Lions Club Advocates Inclusion Of sickle Cell, Child Cancer Treatment In NHIA, OSHIA

The Igbajo Achievers Lions Club has advocated for the inclusion of sickle cell anaemia and child cancer treatment in the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and Osun Health Insurance Agency (OSHIA), stressing the urgent need for comprehensive healthcare support to ease the burden on affected families.

The call was made during an advocacy visit to the NHIA and OSHIA offices in Osogbo on Wednesday, where stakeholders engaged in discussions on how to improve access to healthcare for vulnerable groups.

Speaking during the visit, the Club Service Chairperson, Lion Kayode Faniran, stressed the need for children fighting cancer to be given all the support they need, including health insurance coverage.

According to Faniran, the initiative was aimed at influencing policy reforms that would ensure children suffering from life-threatening conditions are not left out of health insurance schemes.

Faniran noted that interactions with NHIA officials revealed ongoing efforts to expand healthcare coverage, including interventions targeted at cancer patients across different age groups.

He added that while some existing packages provide limited support for such conditions, they fall short of addressing the full financial and medical needs of affected children.

“We are here to advocate for the inclusion of children living with cancer and sickle cell anaemia in the NHIA scheme. Although there are interventions in place and some level of coverage exists, what we are pushing for is total coverage that will truly alleviate the suffering of parents and caregivers,” he said.

Responding, the Head of Programmes at the NHIA Osogbo Office, Agunbiade Musa, commended the Lions Club for its advocacy and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare access.

He disclosed that several interventions have been developed to support cancer patients across all age groups, adding that individuals living with sickle cell anaemia can already benefit from NHIA services, provided they are properly enrolled in the scheme.

However, the Executive Secretary of the Osun Health Insurance Agency, Dr. Rasaq Akintunde Akindele, highlighted structural and financial limitations affecting the inclusion of certain high-cost diseases in insurance packages.

Akintunde explained that while the agency has expanded its coverage to include areas such as orthopaedics and ophthalmology, incorporating diseases like cancer into insurance schemes remains challenging due to the high cost of treatment.

According to him, many cancer cases in Nigeria are diagnosed at advanced stages, reducing survival rates and increasing treatment complexities. He further noted that treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy not only come with severe side effects but are also expensive, making them difficult to accommodate within current insurance frameworks.

“There are ailments that are difficult to incorporate into insurance schemes because of the financial implications. Cancer treatment, for instance, is extremely costly, and hospitals may run at a loss if such cases are fully covered under the existing structure,” he said.

He also pointed out that sickle cell patients require frequent hospital visits, which may discourage healthcare providers from accepting them under standard insurance arrangements due to cost pressures.

Akintunde, however, emphasized the importance of preventive healthcare as a more sustainable approach, urging government and stakeholders to invest in early detection and vaccination programmes.

He advocated for the establishment of cancer screening centres across states and increased awareness on preventive measures such as Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, particularly for young girls, to reduce the risk of cervical cancer.

“Prevention is key. If we invest more in screening and vaccination, we can significantly reduce the burden of cancer. Early detection will go a long way in saving lives and reducing treatment costs,” he added.