By Muhammad Amaan
First Ladies Against Cancer (FLAC) have lamented the dwindling purse for cancer care and treatment in Nigeria, highlighting the risk and survival chances of cancer patients.
First Lady of Imo State and Chairperson of FLAC, Mrs Chioma Uzodinma, raised the concerns in Abuja, at the World Cancer Day Symposium organised by Project PINK BLUE on the theme “Cancer, conflicts and insecurity in Nigeria: What can we do to ensure access to cancer care for vulnerable communities amid conflicts and insecurity?”
She warned that insecurity has become a major barrier to testing and care particularly in the North East, North West and parts of the South East, where health facilities have been shut down and health workers forced to flee due to attacks, kidnappings and killings.
Mrs Uzodinma noted that prolonged disruptions, including sit-at-home order in parts of the South East, have also delayed chemotherapy sessions, follow-up visits and palliative care. “These are not just statistics. They are mothers, fathers and children whose lives are cut short because care is unavailable or unsafe to access,” she said.
She, however, declared that cancer care in Nigeria has become “financially catastrophic” for families already battered by conflict, displacement and economic hardship. “Too many Nigerians are facing catastrophic healthcare costs because cancer care is either unaffordable or inaccessible, especially in conflict-affected communities.
“The current Cancer Health Fund was too limited in scope and coverage, forcing patients to depend on out-of-pocket payments that often lead families to sell assets or abandon treatment. Thousands of deaths we record every year are avoidable if cancers are detected early and treated without interruption.
“In Imo State today, once you are registered under the insurance scheme, you can access free cancer screening; all types. We are advocating that more states follow this example,” she suggested.
Senior Finance and Administration Officer, Project PINK BLUE, Godwin Kagior, said the symposium was convened to push stakeholders beyond discussion to concrete action. “Behind every statistic is a human life whose chance of survival depends on the systems we build,” he said.
Cancer survivors and advocates at the event also shared personal stories of misdiagnosis, late presentation and loss, reinforcing calls for cancer care to be treated as a national emergency, and fully integrated into Nigeria’s health, security and development frameworks.
A breast cancer survivor and patient navigator with Project PINK BLUE, Mercy Soporuchi, identified insecurity and poor distribution of treatment centres as one of the major obstacles to survival.
She lamented that patients often travel over 500 kilometres to access care. “Imagine if every state had a functional cancer centre. People would not travel such long distances just to survive,” she said.
Soporuchi recalled cases of patients who travelled to Abuja for treatment but died after returning home due to the absence of emergency care facilities in their states. “These are few cases we know. There are many more we don’t. Insecurity and lack of access to care remain deadly realities for cancer patients,” she added.
Director-General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Professor Aliyu Malami, in his submission highlighted weak coordination, limited decentralisation and inadequate funding as some key challenges confronting cancer control in Nigeria.
Prof. Malami who was represented by the Director of Clinical Services, Professor Musa Ali Gombe, said that although funding for cancer care has increased steadily since 2020, it remains far below national needs, noting that the National Cancer Health Fund currently provides free treatment for breast, cervical and prostate cancers in selected centres due to funding and specialist constraints.
Prof. Ali Gombe added that plans were underway to expand both the number of centres and the range of cancers covered, stressing that cancer care must be integrated into national security and humanitarian response plans.
