Mohammed Usman, Deputy Chairman of the Nigerian House of Representatives Committee on Health, made this known during a news conference organised by Federal Ministry of Health to commemorate the 2016 World Cancer Day in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Speaking in the same vein, Ramatu Hassan, National Coordinator, Cancer Control Program, Federal Ministry of Health, said government would upgrade seven of the cancer treatment centers to centers of excellence.
The government will also go into Public Private Partnership (PPP) with some companies to increase the number of treatment centers to 14 within the next two years, she told reporters.
According to her, the ultimate goal of this administration is to put 200 cancer treatment machines across the country for effective cancer control.
While early diagnosis and treatment do help breast cancer patients to fully recover in most of the cases, about one third of the patients seek medical help too late.
Cancer is the leading cause of death globally and the top killer among the non-communicable diseases. According to recent estimates, about 27,000 new cases of cancer occur in Nigeria yearly, with the majority of them presenting very late, leading to high death rates. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
