Renowned oncologist and Director of Clinical Trials, University of Nigeria,Nsuka,Prof. Ifeoma Okoye,says a total of 250 radiotherapy machines are required to effectively tackle cancer in the country.

This came as the Director General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment,NICRAT, Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu, said his agency would collaborate with the private sector to augment its 2024 budgetary allocation.

Recall that the government had announced establishment of six cancer centres at the Federal Medical Centre,FMC Jabi, Abuja for the North Central geo-political zone; FMC Ebute Metta, Lagos for the South West; the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital,UNTH, Enugu, for the South East; FMC Gombe, for North East, Uthman Danfodiyo Teaching Hospital,UDUTH, Sokoto; and University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin, respectively.

Recall also that government had earmarked N200 million for cancer treatment and care in the 2024 budget. The amount which is budgeted under the Cancer Health Fund,is to be accessed by citizens diagnosed with cancer.

Available reports, particularly from the Global Cancer Observatory, indicated that 127,763 new cancer cases as well as 79,542 deaths were recorded in 2022.

Breast cancer, according to the report, leads with 32,278 cases (25.3 per cent); followed by prostate cancer with 18,019 cases (14.1 per cent); cervical cancer with 13,676 (10.7 per cent); colorectum cancer with 8,114 (6.4 per cent); Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer 5,194 (4.1 per cent); and others 50,482 (39.5 per cent).

Okoye, speaking to newsmen in Abuja, applauded the federal government for establishing six cancer centres across the six geo-political zones in the country, noting that the development was a significant progress in Nigeria’s concerted efforts aimed at eradicating cancer.

“The Nigerian government is making significant efforts to put in more cancer centres. The federal government has signed a document to have state-of-the-art facilities in cancer management in the six geopolitical zones of the country. However,if you add it all up,even if it makes it up to 20,it is still insufficient. We have 250 million population and the recommendation is that one radiotherapy machine is needed for one million population. This means that we need 250 radiotherapy machines to be able to meet up and close the gap in the treatment of cancer in Nigeria,”she said.

Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu had during a workshop NICRAT convened in collaboration with the International Society of Media in Public Health,ISMPH,said modalities we’re in top gear to install modern radiotherapy machines in the newly established cancer centres in the country just as he hinted of his agency’s plan to establish a national cancer registry.

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Describing the registry as a critical element in the cancer prevention, treatment and care,Prof. Aliyu explained that the significant investments made by the government in combating cancer was an indication of government’s avowed determination stop medical tourism and subsequent put Nigeria among the best countries in cancer prevention, treatment, and care.

He emphasized that NICRAT’s priorities for 2024 include mapping cancer occurrences, enhancing treatment capabilities, allocating resources for data collection, and addressing the costs associated with closing identified gaps, all aimed at an aggressive push against the disease.

“If we recall, the Federal Ministry of Health recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) for the establishment of six Oncology Centres of Excellence in six Federal Teaching Hospitals across the geo-political zones.

“To bolster that effort, we are prioritizing the establishment of new six preventive Oncology centers across the geo-political zones.

“This is because prevention is critical in cancer issues and that is why we want to provide the avenue for people to have access to where they can go for screening.

“During the screening, if cancer is diagnosed, it makes prevention possible because that is when it can be caught early if the presentation was not done late”,he said at the event.

He said the absence of a national registry complicates national planning efforts, adding that NICRAT was collaborating with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to train frontline health workers at primary health centers nationwide in basic cancer screening techniques.

Source: Vanguard