For many Nigerians diagnosed with cancer, the battle does not end with the diagnosis. For poor families, the question of how to pay for treatment can become almost as daunting as the disease itself. As the cost of cancer diagnosis and treatment continues to put care beyond the reach of many households, the Medserve LUTH Cancer Centre has introduced a financial support mechanism for indigent patients who cannot afford the cost of treatment.
The Centre Director, Dr. Lilian Ekpo, disclosed this against the backdrop of growing concerns among oncology specialists that financial hardship, late diagnosis, delayed referrals and limited access to specialised services are contributing to poor cancer outcomes in Nigeria. Ekpo spoke at the seventh Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Musculoskeletal Oncology Society of Nigeria (MOSON), where specialists examined the complexities of diagnosing and treating cancers of the bones and surrounding soft tissues.
The conference, themed “Primary Bone Sarcomas: Current Perspectives and Future Directions,” brought together oncologists, surgeons, researchers and other specialists to discuss advances in the management of primary bone sarcomas, emerging treatment approaches and the challenges confronting cancer care in low- and middle-income countries.
At the centre of the discussions was a problem that cuts across virtually every aspect of cancer care: access. Ekpo said Medserve LUTH Cancer Centre operates an Indigent and Support Patients Fund to assist patients who genuinely cannot meet the financial demands of their treatment. She explained that cancer care at the centre was already highly subsidised, but patients facing severe financial difficulties could undergo an additional assessment for support from the fund. “What we do for patients who are unable to afford care is to get them to enrol on our Indigent and Support Patients Fund,” she said. “An oncologist first assesses the patient before a committee reviews the case.”
According to Ekpo, Medserve sets aside part of its revenue to support patients who are unable to pay for treatment, providing a measure of relief for families confronted with the often prolonged and expensive nature of cancer care. The intervention is particularly significant in an environment where many patients have to choose between cancer treatment and other basic household needs.
Prof. Anthonia Sowunmi, Nigeria’s first female professor of oncology and head of the oncology unit at the Medserve LUTH Cancer Centre, said the country’s economic difficulties had made cancer treatment increasingly unaffordable for many families. “People are just even looking for food. Treatment is secondary,” she said. Sowunmi called for greater intervention from wealthy Nigerians, corporate organisations and other philanthropic bodies to support cancer patients through corporate social responsibility initiatives. She also advocated the creation of a dedicated trust fund to provide sustained financial assistance to patients who cannot afford treatment.
Beyond the immediate financial relief, she stressed that early diagnosis remained one of the most effective ways of reducing the cost and complexity of cancer care. “When patients come early, it’s easier and cheaper to manage, unlike when they come in advanced stages,” she said. Her argument reflects a recurring challenge in Nigeria’s cancer-care system. When diagnosis and treatment are delayed, patients may require more complex interventions, prolonged hospitalisation, expensive medicines and multiple treatment modalities. For families already struggling financially, such costs can make continued treatment impossible.
The Chairman of the conference, Prof. Innocent Chiedu Ikem, said the rising cost of cancer care was pushing some families into severe financial distress and, in some cases, forcing patients to abandon treatment altogether. He urged the government to subsidise cancer diagnostic services, strengthen health insurance coverage and invest more in the training of specialists. Ikem said the problem was compounded by delays in getting patients to appropriate specialist centres. Patients with bone and soft-tissue cancers, he noted, often move from one hospital to another before they eventually reach facilities equipped to diagnose and treat their conditions.
Limited diagnostic capacity and shortages of specialised personnel further complicate the situation. The President of MOSON, Dr. Oluwaseyi Idowu, said more than 70 per cent of patients with primary bone sarcomas present late, significantly reducing the chances of achieving better treatment outcomes. He called for stronger collaboration among specialists and wider health insurance coverage to reduce the financial burden on patients and their families. The consequences of delayed referral were brought into sharp focus during a panel session titled “Optimising Treatment Protocols and Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.”
Dr. A.U. Faruq recalled the case of a patient with a tumour around the lower thigh who spent two years receiving treatment at a private clinic before eventually being referred to a specialist centre. By the time the patient arrived, the disease had progressed significantly, illustrating the potentially devastating consequences of delayed diagnosis and referral.
The panellists argued that improving cancer outcomes would require more than increasing the number of treatment facilities. Doctors and other health workers must also know where specialised services are available and refer patients early enough. Dr. Oyekan said it was unrealistic to expect every hospital to provide treatment for every type of cancer. Rather, he advocated a structured system of specialised cancer centres in which medical teams could develop deeper expertise in particular cancers, including bone and soft-tissue tumours.
Such a model, he suggested, would improve the quality of care while reducing the delays associated with patients being managed in facilities without the required expertise. Idowu pointed to the Lagos Musculoskeletal Oncology Network (LAMON) as an example of how multidisciplinary collaboration could improve patient management. Under the network, specialists jointly review patients before, during and after treatment, allowing different disciplines to contribute to decisions on diagnosis and care. “We want LAMON to be replicated in every state,” he said.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
