Dr. Maryam Abdulrahman-Raji, Senior Registrar at the Oncology Unit of the National Hospital, Abuja, has called for increased support and urgent investment in pediatric cancer care to improve treatment outcomes and save the lives of children battling cancer.
Speaking on the sidelines of an awareness event organized by the Okapi Children Cancer Foundation in Abuja, she warned that the rising cost of essential treatments is putting young patients at risk.
According to her, the price of a pint of platelets now goes as high as N850,000, making life-saving care unaffordable for many families.
She identified significant gaps in pediatric cancer care, including delayed patient presentation, inadequate diagnostic facilities, and the high cost of treatment, as major challenges affecting children with cancer.
Late presentation limits treatment options
According to her, most patients present late with advanced-stage cancer, which significantly limits treatment options.
“Most of our patients have delayed presentations, meaning they don’t come early. This delay affects the overall treatment and outcome for these children.
“They come in when the cancer is already at an advanced stage, and most times, there’s very little we can do for them,” she said.
High cost of diagnostics and drugs is a barrier
She noted that the lack of cancer diagnostic facilities in the country contributes significantly to the high cost of care and prevents many children from accessing timely treatment.
According to her,” a pint of platelets for a child is worth almost N850,000, and children with cancer need more than one pint while on admission.
“Imagine a parent having to look for that kind of money out of pocket is very, very overwhelming.”
She added that healthcare practitioners go through this with the parents always, sourcing funds for such children.
“Besides that, the drugs are usually paid out of pocket, too. There’s no subsidized form of chemotherapeutic agents and the blood boosters that we normally use for these children.”
Other challenges she highlighted include the absence of subsidized chemotherapy, bone marrow transplant facilities, and functional diagnostic centres in the country.
“These patients don’t have access to bone marrow transplant services locally and are often forced to travel abroad for such procedures,” she said.
The oncologist, therefore, called for practical solutions beyond policy development, urging full implementation of health policies to close existing gaps and improve access to cancer care and management in Nigeria.
What you should know
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), childhood cancer has a survival rate of over 80% in high-income countries.
However, in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria, survival rates drop drastically to as low as 20–30%, due to delayed diagnosis, limited access to care, and lack of resources.
Nigeria has very few specialized centers for childhood cancer treatment. There is also a shortage of trained pediatric oncologists, diagnostic equipment, and local bone marrow transplant facilities, forcing wealthier patients to seek treatment abroad.
Although Nigeria launched its National Cancer Control Plan (2018–2022), experts say implementation is weak. WHO encourages governments to include childhood cancer in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) plans and to improve early detection, access to care, and treatment subsidies.
This is claiming young lives in hundreds, my kod brother been one of many.
Lost my kid brother a year ago because of this issue