By Asma’u Ahmad
The Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health said it has put in place plans to address the challenges facing management of cancer in the country.
The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole Adewole, made this known at a symposium on ‘Cancer in Nigeria’ organised by the ministry, in collaboration with health experts in the Diaspora and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
He said: “We are developing a plan to address some of these challenges facing the management of cancer. Our data base of all corpses brought into Nigeria showed that about 50 per cent of them died from cancer, followed by renal challenges, multiple cardiac challenges and trauma.
Prof. Isaac Adewole
“So, clearly to me, if we want to stop medical tourism and give life to our people, we need to address cancer. We want to start a programme of highly detective for breast, cervix and prostrate for men above 50 years.”
Prof. Adewole said that the major aim of the symposium was to change the narrative of cancer in Nigeria by creating measures that would enhance the capacity to manage cancer. According to him, the Federal Ministry of Health will partner with the Sovereign Investment Authority to finance facilities that will be investing in cancer and its management.
Adewole described cancer as a major problem in developing world, saying, “it has been estimated that between 25 and 30 million people are living with cancer worldwide’’. He said that cancer had been a major cause of death in the developing world due to late presentation.
In his remarks, the LUTH Chief Medical Director, Prof. Chris Bode, said the Federal Government was employing some measures to grapple with cancer care. Prof. Bode said that quality of cancer care on in this part of the
world had waxed and waned with the various economic and political fortunes of the sub-region.
“It is hope that the communique from today’s deliberations will inform and enrich our government’s policy on this scourge,” he said. Newsmen reports that the minister also inaugurated Biomedical Engineering School, Acute Stroke Unit, Blood Bank, Optical Laboratory Building in LUTH.
