The essence of national fight against cancer
Out of the 27,000 oncology professionals worldwide, the fraction that is found in Nigeria are so negligible and inconsequential that scores of those who die due to inadequate professional care do so as a result of the dearth of well trained oncology doctors and nurses. With a population of over 140 million and a population […]
Out of the 27,000 oncology professionals worldwide, the fraction that is found in Nigeria are so negligible and inconsequential that scores of those who die due to inadequate professional care do so as a result of the dearth of well trained oncology doctors and nurses. With a population of over 140 million and a population of just about one hundred thousand general duty nurses in Nigeria – none of whom has ever had any speciality training in nursing oncology – the dangers for the country in terms of the dearth of oncology care is very frightening indeed. The statistics have always been very harrowing, not just because of the prevalence of cancer in Nigeria, but because of the lack of medical support base that is generally accessible to victims as well as the prohibitive cost inherent in the little care that is obtainable in very select few places in the country.
Dr Clement Adebamowo, Professor of surgery, division of oncology and consultant surgeon, University College Hospital, Ibadan did an analysis of the situation in a paper he presented in 2007 at a function organised by the Society of Oncology and Cancer Research in Nigeria, SOCRON. He noted that ‘’although infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS are the most significant contributors to disease burden in Nigeria, complex diseases such as cancer are emerging as an important health care priority for the future. Improvements in public health and increased funding for health care initiatives – by government, donor organisations, and development partners are likely to lead to a decrease in the incidences of communicable diseases in the country”.
The situation as far as medical care for cancer patients is concerned in Nigeria is so pathetically inadequate that one can easily say it is absolutely none existent. Clinical services for cancer are grossly and poorly distributed. Only a few centres have functional radiotherapy equipment. Radiologic services are generally available; however, access is limited by cost. There is one nuclear medicine department in the country. Although chemotherapy is available, high cost prevents most patients from taking advantage of modern regimens. Pathology services are generally available, but the scope of services is limited. Molecular diagnostic methods are not widely available. Surgery is often performed by surgeons whose primary clinical practice is not oncology and there is a very limited scope for multidisciplinary cancer care.
It is in the light of this challenging obstacles and tasks that the initiative of the first lady Hajiya Turai Yar’adua to offer help to deal with the scourge should be seen. I understand and appreciate people’s suspicion in view of the thoughtless initiatives of our former first ladies, who expended billions on some programmes that turned out to either be conduit pipes to drain public funds or wasteful ventures that have not stood the test of time before they folded up. The Turai Yar’adua anti-cancer initiative, for which a launching ceremony was held where billions was raised, is a well thought out intervention programme aimed at making treatment, management and prevention of cancer accessible, something which is likely to affect millions of sufferers who have hitherto been left to wallow in their pains with no one or no where to turn to for succour. This is even more desirable on account of the failure of various government institutions charged with dealing with the problem. One of such public institutions is the National Headquarters of Cancer Registries in Nigeria established in 1990; however, this institution is currently dormant. It is gratifying to note that some action is being taken to address some of the cancer related shortcomings. Recently, the government created a consultative committee on national cancer control to formulate policy guidelines relating to the prevention and management of cancer in Nigeria.
But the most important thing in my view is for the Turai initiative to collaborate with such nongovernmental intervention and advocacy groups to energise and bring some freshness into the national assault on cancer in Nigeria. Cancer Society, the Society of Oncology and Cancer Research of Nigeria, the Society for the Study of Pain and the Palliative Care Initiative have shown a remarkable sense of duty and have made tremendous contribution in promoting cancer control and prevention. Experience in the past has shown that direct government effort has not yielded the desired result due mainly to corruption and insensitivity. It should be hoped that more of such very serious minded interventions which will impact positively on the people will be initiated by the first lady. This will give the office of the first lady more clout, more support by the people and thus more credibility to weather the storm of armchair critics.
Bolori wrote from A33, Adisa Estate, Abuja, and can be reached on [email protected]