Nigerian government committed to prevention, control of cancer

Nigerian government committed to prevention, control of cancer

The Nigerian federal government has reiterated its committed to the prevention and control of cancer in the country. 

The Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Health, Mr Linus Awute, made this known in a day workshop for health correspondents in Abuja, Nigerian capital on Thursday.

Cancer scanning machine

He said that the ministry had procured and distributed cancer scanning machines to 10 hospitals in the six geo-political zones of the country.

According to him, the hospitals include the National Hospital, Abuja, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

Others are the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Usman Danfodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.

He added that the Federal government was working to ensure that the machines were made available to all tertiary institutions in the country for Nigerians at all levels to access them.

“In view of the urgent need for increased knowledge that will assist us in the maximum utilisation of these technologies, eight doctors , 21 pharmacists and 20 nurses are about to commence special training abroad in the use of the equipment,’’ Awute added.

Immunisation

He also said that the ministry had started the distribution of 4,000 Human Papiloma Virus Vaccine (HPV) to immunise young girls against cervical cancer.

Media partnership

He, however, solicited for media partnership on the government’s efforts to prevent and control cancer in the country as the government alone could not achieve the aim.

 The permanent secretary stressed that the media was a veritable tool in achieving good healthcare delivery and the socio-economic development of the country.

Dr Patient Osinubi, the Coordinator of the National Cancer Control Programme, said the ministry would soon carry out nationwide cancer awareness campaign, especially at the grassroots with the use of local dialects and town criers.

Osinubi said the ministry had started collaborating with the Association of Local Government of Nigeria to have at least one cancer screening centre in every local government.

“We are now moving down from the top to the grassroots because we want a situation whereby every Nigerian will be well informed about cancer,’’ she said.

Subsidy

Mrs Moji Makanjuola of the Nigerian Television Authority in a presentation, called on the Federal Government to provide subsidy for the treatment of cancer.

Makanjuola said the subsidy was necessary because the cost of treating cancer was too high for individuals to bear.

“The government must do something deliberate to reduce and subsidise the cost of cancer treatment, especially for men and women in the rural areas,’’ she said. 

NAN/Shakira