Cancer, one of the deadliest diseases the world has ever known, is a large group of diseases that can begin in almost any organ or tissue in the body.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is the second cause of death worldwide.
He also said that in 2022 it is estimated that there will be 20 million new cases of cancer and 9.7 million deaths.
In Nigeria, however, an estimated 124,000 new cases were recorded in 2020, resulting in 78,899 deaths.
The disease places tremendous physical, emotional and financial strain on individuals, families, communities and health systems, straining resources as it hits the rich, the poor, the young, the elderly and now even the children.
To ease the burden of cancer treatment in Nigeria, the federal government came up with several interventions that could benefit patients.
The Minister of State for Health, Tunji Alausa, said the country has a continuum of cancer that is being given the necessary priority attention.
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It listed cancer prevention and treatment, supply chain management, palliative care and palliative care, advocacy and social mobilization, data management and research, as well as governance and finance as areas in the ones the government focused on to address the threat.
These, he added, are priority measures in cancer control efforts contained in the government’s four-point agenda, which also includes improving healthcare governance, improving population health outcomes, unlocking the cancer value chain healthcare and health security for Nigerians.
Alausa said the federal government allocated N200 million for the treatment of indigent cancer patients in the 2024 budget through the Cancer Health Fund (CHF), a demonstration of its commitment to reducing the burden of cancer.
In his words, in the last four years the federal government has invested N1.3 billion in CHF.
However, he added that although the fund would not be enough to do everything necessary to take care of Nigerians, the ministry is mobilizing funds through a sectoral approach and with the participation of the private sector.
He explained that “the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) will ultimately manage the financing of cancer care in the future to avoid duplication of functions in terms of purchasing services for patients.
“Recently, guidelines for the NHIA Act were launched to pave the way for its full implementation, which also provides funding for vulnerable Nigerians, including cancer patients.”
Also to improve cancer care in the country, the federal government and the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to assist in the procurement of cancer treatment equipment.
Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare Ali Pate also said that the upgrading of equipment at the six cancer centres, located in university hospitals in the six geopolitical zones of the country, is an important milestone.
This, he said, was because it would mark the end of tragic stories for thousands of Nigerians struggling to receive cancer care.
He noted that the government had in the past established an oncology initiative with other hospitals that lasted for years without success.
He explained that an initial allocation for teaching hospitals about four years ago was still N17.9 billion, while in 2024, the federal government allocated N20 billion, for a total of N37.9 billion.
Pate said: “The NSIA would then bring the technical capacity, expertise and governance system, following the authority’s relationship with oncology equipment manufacturers.
“We have seen how the authority led the LUTH and is a very important partner for the government.
“But this is a different path where we use a government-owned entity (NSIA) to execute, where the entity will go directly to the manufacturers, eliminating the middlemen.
“I understand that we have almost a 30 per cent discount on the cost of equipment by virtue of going directly to the manufacturers, clearly worth almost N10 billion saved through the discount.”
Furthermore, he said, President Bola Tinubu upgraded six federal tertiary health institutions with modern brachytherapy and nuclear medicine equipment and other ancillary and complementary facilities.
For his part, Usman Aliyu, Director General of the National Institute of Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), said that although Nigeria has done a lot to improve cancer treatment, more needs to be done.
Aliyu said: “We have made significant progress in raising awareness about the causes, symptoms and prevention of cancer by providing knowledge to people; we aim to reduce the incidence of late-stage cancer diagnoses and improve early detection rates in all of Nigeria”.
He added that taking the measures beyond the country’s shores and expanding them to the continent, the interventions continued with the participation of the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, where she organized a high-level regional seminar to promote awareness and advocacy programs in the Organization of African member states of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
During the event, he called for collective action against cancer in Africa, to end it before 2030.
He reiterated his commitment to reducing the prevalence of cancer through effective preventive control.
The first lady said she would continue to lead the promotion of innovative approaches to cancer prevention and early detection, as the federal government takes over the diagnostic and treatment components of cancer care.
He said: “This has led me to advocate for preventive measures and early detection approaches for preventable and curable cancers in Nigeria.”
To reinforce its belief that prevention is better than cure, it launched the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer in October 2023.
The launch marked the beginning of the inclusion of HPV vaccines in routine immunization by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA).
She said: “I am aware that more than nine million girls have been fully immunized since the vaccine rollout in October.”
Regarding legislation that would help advance cancer care, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, assured that the National Assembly (NASS) would work with the First Lady to enact a prevention law in Nigeria.
He said financial barriers, the high cost of treatment and lack of health insurance meant many were unable to pay for necessary care.
He noted that low awareness and educational gaps on cancer prevention and early detection for timely intervention are worsening the scourge.
He added that “the combination of these factors results in a high mortality rate, while the inequality of life underlined the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to address cancer.
“As representatives of the people, we in the House of Representatives and, by extension, the National Assembly, recognize our role in the fight against cancer.
“The House will work with the First Lady to enact a National Cancer Act to reduce cancer mortality through comprehensive measures, including promoting screening, early diagnosis, advancing treatment, and palliative care.”
According to Abbas, the law will also ensure greater investment in cancer care infrastructure and provide a framework for the establishment and financing of comprehensive treatment centers across the country.
Praising the government’s efforts in the fight against cancer, Gloria Nwajiogu, a survivor and advocate, said there have been improvements compared to what was obtainable about 10 to 15 years ago.
Ms Nwajiogu, President of the People Affected by Cancer Network in Nigeria (NePICiN), said that earlier, cancer treatment was not covered by the NHIA, but now there are packages not only for those working in government but also for those in the private sector. .
He added that “there is also the CHF; So for me there has been an improvement. However, in this cancer journey, although there are improvements, people are not even aware of these things and when they are not aware of the services, there is no way they can access them.
“I have to celebrate the progress made by the government because as of 2020, when I was diagnosed, it was like if you had no money, you couldn’t survive cancer, unless God decides to do a miracle in your life.
“Chemotherapy alone is not affordable and the medications are expensive, but now we have options.”
He praised the Chemotherapy Access Program (CAP), which gives patients access to high-quality, lower-priced medications at a 50 percent discount at the hospital, adding that it has helped.
However, he said the challenge of not having enough funds to go to the hospital persists because citizens are not aware of the packages.
Ms Nwajiogu explained that much remains to be done to raise awareness, not only about cancer treatment but also about prevention, something that has been lacking until now.
He also said that the facilities, although they are in the process of improvement, need to be expanded so that patients can access them without having to travel far.
Dozie Akwarandu, another cancer survivor and president of the Nest of Hope Cancer Advocacy and Support Community, said the CHF is a great initiative.
However, he said the fund, intended only to treat breast, cervical and prostate cancers and only indigent patients, is not enough to reduce the cost of cancer treatment.
“The CHF needs to be reviewed, expanded and adapted to other types of cancer, as well as making it accessible and generally allowing demographics to change.
“I am of the opinion that there should be an integration of cancer treatment and care with infectious diseases.
“We can borrow ideas from the world of HIV and create a program where cancer patients can receive medications all the time,” he suggested.
He also said that although the federal government’s initiatives are commendable, “the facilities we have are not enough for the patients, the available ones are overloaded and the staff is also overloaded.
“However, I believe that recent commitments from NICRAT, the Federal Ministry of Health and Welfare, and most recently from the Office of the First Lady, will illuminate the dark tunnel.”
(NANCeatures)