The Federal Government is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) to facilitate the acquisition and maintenance of state-of-the-art radiotherapy equipment in cancer centers across the country.
This initiative was disclosed by Prof. Usman Aliyu, Director-General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), during the City Cancer Challenge (C/Can) Initiative Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement Workshop held in Abuja on Tuesday.
The memorandum of understanding
Aliyu highlighted the significance of the partnership, emphasizing the need to replicate the success of the NSIA-Lagos University Teaching Hospital (NSIA-LUTH) cancer center in other regions.
The move aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to upgrade the six cancer centers located in the country’s six geopolitical zones, underscoring the government’s commitment to enhancing cancer treatment facilities.
Tunji Alausa, representing the Minister of State for Health, emphasized the growing burden of cancer in Nigeria, citing statistics from the 2022 Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) report.
- “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.”
- With over 127,000 new cancer cases and 79,000 cancer-related deaths recorded in 2022 alone, the need for robust cancer care infrastructure is paramount.
Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary of the Health Services and Environment Secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), emphasized the importance of early diagnosis and community engagement in tackling the cancer menace.
