Prof Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, has announced that three major cancer facilities with equipment investments will be commissioned by May 2025.
“For the first time in Nigeria’s history, six major cancer infrastructure, and equipment investments were approved by Mr President (President Bola Tinubu) early last year, of which they are already underway, and three of them will be ready by May 2025, to be commissioned; Nigeria has never had it.
“So that those who are suffering from cancer, that is the high level of care that is needed, it is a tertiary service. We will have the linear accelerators, the brachytherapy, and other diagnostic equipment to allow them to afford high-quality cancer care in Nigeria in those six facilities,” he said.
“The government has made significant efforts in improving cancer diagnosis and treatment in the country. In the past five months, they’ve launched 10 major cancer diagnostic centers, which is a huge step forward. Additionally, 201 tertiary facilities have undergone infrastructural upgrades and have been equipped with state-of-the-art equipment like MRI scans, CT scans, and anesthesia equipment over the last year,” he stated.
The minister stressed that while they’re committed to achieving more in 2025, they also acknowledge the significance of investing in human resources and training, which extends beyond basic medical care. This is a critical aspect, as it will guarantee that medical specialists possess the necessary skills and knowledge to provide exceptional care to patients. By prioritizing the growth and training of healthcare workers, the minister aims to enhance the overall quality of patient care, ensuring that individuals receive the best possible treatment and attention.
Prof Muhammad said, ”we have expanded the federal facilities. In the last year, the Federal Medical Centre, Epe, in Lagos, there is new one in Ekiti, and the President just approved a new Federal Teaching Hospital in Akure, Federal Medical Centre in Southern Kaduna, in Kafanchan. There is an upgrade of hospitals in Nasarawa, the specialist hospital in Keffi is now a teaching hospital, and the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare, has a teaching hospital, which was upgraded by this President.”
“The tertiary hospitals’ capacity in Nigeria will be expanded because, for a very long time, the capacity that we had when we were 150 million people is literally what we still have when we are about 230 million people. So, we’re expanding that, it’s not enough, but we need to do that.”
According to data from the Global Cancer Observatory, there were 127,763 new cancer cases and 79,542 deaths in 2022. For both sexes, the data showed that breast cancer led the chart with an estimated 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).
In 2023, the Director General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, Prof Usman Aliyu said statistics indicate that an estimated 78,000 people died as a result of cancer-related complications in 2020.
Out of this number, 44,699 were females while 34,200 were males, and it is estimated that there are over 120,000 new cancer cases every year in Nigeria.
This development is a significant step forward in the country’s fight against cancer, and it’s exciting to think about the impact it will have on the lives of those affected by the disease.
