By Asma’u Ahmad
The Federal Ministry of Health said it will soon unveil a five-year National Strategic Plan for Control of Cervical Cancer in Nigeria.
National Coordinator, National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), Dr. Ramatu Hassan said this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
Dr. Ramatu said the ministry was working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to train personnel who would implement the strategic plan.
Dr. Ramatu Hassan
The national coordinator said the strategic plan to be inaugurated in February 2017 was expected to significantly slash the burden of cervical cancer in the country.
She explained that as the world marked World Cancer Day on Feb. 4, governments should focus on detection, prevention and treatment of the ailment.
She said that the theme of the 2017 World Cancer Day as adopted by the International Union of Cancer Control which Nigeria is a member is “we can, I can.” “It means that as individuals, we should be able to determine issues
that contribute to the control of cancer in the country.”
She said the Federal Ministry of Health had adopted a sub theme, ‘make a healthy lifestyle choice’ to mark the day.
According to her, the sub theme cautions Nigerians to stay away from tobacco, excessive consumption of alcohol and embrace regular exercise and other healthy habits.
The national coordinator said the NCCP had trained cancer registry staff in various hospitals in the six geopolitical zones of the country.
She added that cancer registry, though poorly understood by public, would enable government to ascertain the prevalence of each type of cancer in a given area for effective control.
She explained that the data and information generated by trained cancer registry would enable government to establish treatment centres in locations where a particular type of cancer was prevalent.
The World Cancer Day is part of the World Cancer Campaign, which responds to the Charter of Paris adopted at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium on February 4, 2000.
The Charter of Paris designated February 4 each year as World Cancer Day.
