March 20, 2024

The Federal Government is to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) to aid in the procurement and maintenance of radiotherapy equipment in cancer centres in the country.

Prof. Usman Aliyu, the Director-General, National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), said this on Tuesday in Abuja, while fielding questions from newsmen during the City Cancer Challenge (C/Can) Initiative Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement Workshop.

According to Aliyu, the NSIA-Lagos University Teaching Hospital (NSIA-LUTH) cancer center has some of the best cancer equipment in the country and the Federal Government aims to replicate what is obtainable there in other centers.

This, he said, was in furtherance to President Bola Tinubu’s directive to upgrade the six cancer centers located in the six geo-political zones of the country.

“So the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate wants to replicate what he saw in LUTH to virtually almost all the other regions in the country.

“This is because if you look at the major problem of our radiotherapy equipment (the cancer treatment machinery), it is the frequent breakdown, but that has actually never happened with the NSIA platform.

“I think the NSIA-LUTH have their uptime of up to 80 per cent to 90 per cent which is excellent actually. So that is why we are trying to get something similar in the entire country.”

Aliyu also represented the Minister of State for Health, Dr Tunji Alausa at the workshop.

Alausa said that cancer remained one of the most significant health challenges presently, affecting millions of lives globally.

According to him, in Nigeria, the burden of cancer continues to increase, posing a significant threat to the population’s health and well-being.

He added that according to the 2022 Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) report, 127, 763 new cancer cases were diagnosed in 2022 with 79, 542 mortalities from cancer in Nigeria.

“As we work towards addressing this challenge, it is crucial that we join forces, collaborate, and strategise to ensure that cancer patients in Abuja, and across Nigeria receive the best possible care and support.

“This workshop serves as a platform for us to identify and engage with the diverse range of stakeholders who play a crucial role in the fight against cancer”, Alausa said.

He also said that by mapping out the landscape of cancer stakeholders in Abuja, and the country at large, there would be better understanding of the resources, expertise and gaps that exist within the current healthcare system.

This, in turn, would enable the nation develop targeted strategies, partnerships and interventions to strengthen its collective response to cancer.

Also speaking, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, the Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said that the workshop was critical to the success of the project.

She said this was because it was the foundation that would determine both the success of subsequent phases of the project and the overall objectives of the project.

According to her, one of the things that affects the prognosis and the care of cancer is late diagnosis.

To get rid of this, she reiterated the need to sensitise, educate and inform people by communicating with them with the aim of getting feedback.

“This is what this challenge will do. We will have community mobilisation teams in each of our area councils, we will educate them on what early signs of cancer looks like in a woman and in a man.

“As for FCT, I assure you that with this renewed hope administration, we will find the gaps that are making the prevalence of cancer mortality and morbidity and making people die more.

“With this project there’s political will to fill the gaps. The gaps may be human resource, more advocacy or more cancer treatment centers.”

Sophie Bussman-Kemdjo, the Regional Director for Africa and Europe (C/Can), said that the organisation which is operational in 15 cities across the world would employ a framework that has been tested in the previous cities to enhance cancer care in the FCT.

“We will set up a governance body in the city that will oversee the implementation and the rollout of the initiatives and further do city wide and intensive needs assessment to be able to know what the pressing needs in the city are.

“That governance body will work with all of the concerned parties to prioritise what the main needs to be put forward are and from the priority needs, there will be strategic planning in terms of which projects to put forward.

“We at C/Can will build on our network of partners to be able to support better, so it’s really like local contextualisation, we don’t come to just say this is what you should be doing.

“We come as C/Can to support the effort that is already being made”, she added.

The C/Can, a Swiss foundation, is dedicated to supporting cities worldwide in their mission to ensure accessible and quality cancer care for all and FCT joined the network in May 2023.

The workshop was aimed at bringing together key players in the cancer care space in Abuja to foster collaboration, identify relevant stakeholder institutions, explore potential synergies among stakeholders, and collectively strategise for improved cancer care outcomes in the region. (NAN)