For inside di Federal budget of 2019, 2020 and 2021, ogbonge govt approve a total of N1.4 billion for fi treatment of cancer patients wey no too get moni to treat themselves. Na people were get cancer of di breast, prostate and cervix qualify. Federal Ministry of Health suppose carry di money pay to 6 teaching hospitals, one for inside each geopolitical zone, to treat approved patients free. But e be like say na audio money e be as no patient dey benefit from am. Senate bin halla di health ministry in 2021 before dem begin receive applications from patients.
Di Presido of di Network of Persons Impacted by Cancer in Nigeria, (NEPICIN), Mrs Gloria Orji wey follow do campaign and push for di money dey vex say Ministry of Health dey dull cancer patients. Mrs Orji na breast cancer survivor for about 10 years. Look below to see wetin she write on Facebook. Other cancer patients wey follow our tori peninsula talk di mata say their vex on top di mate no bi here.
Click on this YouTube link https://youtu.be/y6STICO8nPw make you watch our show on this money matter.
See Mrs Orji’s post.
THE CANCER HEALTH FUND
The Health Federation of Nigeria in 2017, during the National Health Dialogue conference held in Abuja reached a decision to establish a catastrophic health fund to cater for indigent cancer patients. This was aimed at reducing financial burden for cancer patients thereby reducing the number of deaths from cancer recorded annually. This was actualized and in 2019, when over 700 million naira was approved in the national budget for its implementation. In 2020, over 200 million naira was approved and in 2021, over 500 million was approved. A total of 1.4 billion.
The cancer patient community was overjoyed and we eagerly looked forward to this fund helping us to pull through our treatments. 3 years down the line, we are still waiting. No one has been able to access it. We asked questions, made enquiries and was told the criteria to qualify for the fund is “guarded so that patients will not abuse it”
The funds managers seem not to acknowledge the fact that the funds is not given to the patient as cash but is lodged in the hospital’s account. I wonder how it can be abused.
Cancer patients are asking to go through painful treatment so that we can stand a chance to live. We are begging to take chemotherapy, to become bald, to throw up, to have diarrhea, to lose parts of our body, to go under the knife, to get burnt by the radiotherapy machines and to endure pain and pain and more pain……
I wonder how going through all these would lead to abuse of the CHF. The Federal Ministry of Health should know this. No one wants to endure the treatment. We only need to……
Cancer patients are asking to go through painful treatment so that we can stand a chance to live. We are begging to take chemotherapy, to become bald, to throw up, to have diarrhea, to lose parts of our body, to go under the knife, to get burnt by the radiotherapy machines and to endure pain and pain and more pain……
I wonder how going through all these would lead to abuse of the CHF. The Federal Ministry of Health should know this. No one wants to endure the treatment. We only need to……
Nigeria we hail thee