A child diagnosed with cancer in sub-Saharan Africa is more than five times as likely to die from their malignancy as a child in North America. While delayed diagnosis and limited access to treatment drive these disparities, Nigeria faces an additional challenge: no published data exist on the cost or cost-effectiveness of childhood cancer services. Without this evidence, Nigerian policymakers allocate health budgets with limited insight into the value of investing in pediatric cancer care. In response, BVGH partnered with Dr. Adeseye Akinsete and Dr. Adedayo Joseph, principal investigators at MedServe-LUTH Cancer Center (MLCC) and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), to obtain the data needed to inform Nigerian policymakers’ budgeting decisions.
BVGH connected the Nigerian team with health economics experts at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto to design a study protocol tailored to Nigeria’s healthcare landscape and secure funding from My Child Matters, the Sanofi Collective’s Foundation S initiative. To ensure that the study reflects pediatric cancer patient care across Nigeria, BVGH coordinated the participation of eight teaching hospitals across all six of Nigeria’s geopolitical zones (Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, National Hospital Abuja, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, University College Hospital Ibadan, and University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital) in the study. Together, BVGH and its partners are collecting data to assess pediatric cancer cost-effectiveness, model treatment abandonment, and produce actionable evidence to guide national priority setting – laying the groundwork for smarter investments and improved outcomes for children with cancer in Nigeria.