Reps move to establish national cancer institute

The bill titled ‘A Bill for an Act to provide for the prevention, treatment and control of cancer in Nigeria and for connected purposes’ was sponsored by Rep Bassey Dan-Abia (PDP, A/Ibom).“Leading debate on the bill, Dan-Abia, said an estimated 80,000 Nigerians die of cancer annually, a situation which calls for a lot of concern, […]

The bill titled ‘A Bill for an Act to provide for the prevention, treatment and control of cancer in Nigeria and for connected purposes’ was sponsored by Rep Bassey Dan-Abia (PDP, A/Ibom).
“Leading debate on the bill, Dan-Abia, said an estimated 80,000 Nigerians die of cancer annually, a situation which calls for a lot of concern, adding that the killer disease spares no-one as it has also affected “the mighty, the upright, the not so honest as well as the lowly in the society.”
“The disease does not just appear out of nowhere, it has definite cause that can be corrected if the body has enough time and if actions are taken to change the body’s internal environment to one that creates health, while at the same time attacking cancerous cells and tumour by exploiting their weakness.
“It occurs as a result of excessive amount of toxins and pollutants people are exposed to due to high stress lifestyles and zap in the immune system, poor quality junk foods that are genetically modified,” said.
He added that the scourge spreads as a result of inadequate and poorly distributed clinical services as only a few centres have functional systems.
He listed other challenges to include limited scope for multi-disciplinary cancer care as well as surgeons with limited clinical experience in oncology, lamenting that the situation forces some Nigerians to seek medical services in India due to inadequate radiotherapy centres nationwide.
He said if passed, the bill would help in controlling the disease and offer protection to the human rights and civil liberty of Nigerians.
He said the scourge was in the past perceived to be “White men’s disease,” but was later discovered to be pervasive and widespread in underdeveloped countries like Nigeria.
Unlike HIV/AIDS where individuals could be asked to abstain from certain activities, he said, cancer is different and manifests itself on its carriers, which subject them to stigma.
The bill was referred to the House committee on health for further legislative input.