After a previous pledge, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has started covering some childhood cancers.
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, said the expanded coverage started effectively on July 1.
In a post on Facebook, he said, “plans are far advanced to add treatment for other forms of cancer to the list of ailments covered by NHIS.”
“These health decisions are important to deal with the sickness, and also the financial burden on families of children with cancer and people living with sickle cell will be drastically reduced while receiving treatment.”
The NHIS noted that four childhood cancers, comprising Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, Burkitt Lymphoma, Retinoblastoma and Wilms Tumor will be covered under the expanded coverage.
These four cancers are said to constitute approximately 60 percent of all Childhood Cancers and are highly curable if detected early.
