The Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS), has disclosed that less than ten 10 cancer treatment machines are fit for use across the country.
Due to Nigerians inability to access life-saving treatment, the morbidity and mortality rate is constantly on the increase.
NCS said this is a major divergence from the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO), that Nigeria should have at least 300 radiotherapy machines to cater for its teeming population.
The NCS also launched the #SmokeFreeNollywood campaign, a public digital petition to Nollywood filmmakers to discard tobacco from Nigeria’s film industry.
It criticized the widening gap in access to qualitative treatment, especially for persons living in rural areas, with limited access to proper support and care, coupled with rife poverty, ignorance, discrimination, illiteracy etc.
President of the NCS, Dr Adamu Umar, while speaking during a briefing in Abuja to commemorate this year’s World Cancer Day with the theme: “Closing the care gap,” urged the Federal Government to ensure equitable distribution of health infrastructure especially at the primary health care (PHC) level to intensify preventive and regular screening services.
“Nigeria, according to the WHO, should have at least 300 cancer treatment machines (radiotherapy machines), as opposed to the less than 10 of such machines that are currently operational in the country, thereby creating a big gap in cancer care to the teeming populace,” he said.
According to Adamu, the gap is further widened when we take into consideration the poverty level (above 40 per cent), the percentage of rural dwellers (above 49 per cent) coupled with the lack of comprehensive health coverage through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and inadequate budgetary provision for health (5 per cent of consolidated budget as opposed to the agreed 15 per cent by African Union, AU, countries).
