Osas Igbinedion, Director of Admin, Children with Cancer Intervention Initiative (CCII), a Non Governmental Organisation, (NGO) says cost of cancer treatment in Nigeria is too high and a big burden to cancer patients.
Igbinedion said this in commemoration of the World Cancer 2021 Day which holds every 4th of February.
He stressed that cancer treatment in Nigeria is challenging and a huge burden to patients, caregivers, families and loved ones, as the health insurance scheme does not take care of cancer treatment.
“There is a need for support from local, regional governments, as well as from our federal government to assist in funding cancer patients for proper treatments.
“If cancer is detected early, let the cost of first stage and the treatment be free,” he said.
According to him, `lack of human resources, healthcare facilities and funds are the greatest challenges to cure and manage cancer.
“There is a great need to develop the health centres especially through Nigerian national cancer registry, as called for in the National Cancer Control Plan.
“In the absence of a national cancer registry, most of the available statistics on cancer incidence, prevalence, and mortality are based on estimates’’.
Akin Opayinka, the Director of CCII said their organization had in the last 10 years been in supporting children who are down with cancer.
Opayinka, pointed out that the way of approach in cancer management especially in Nigeria challenging: the backwardness and the way it is approached is wrong for patients to access treatment.
He said that cancer awareness creation is still low and there is need to create more awareness through public enlightenment, lectures, talkshows that will involve government bodies, organisation and individual.
“The government should invest in cancer prevention programmes and we need specific programmes that address cancer awareness and prevention’’.
He also added that poverty is a major challenge in cancer management so only the middle-income class can afford to go to either private hospitals or the expensive government hospitals.
“I will advise government health centres and private to let people have free treatment when it’s detected early,” he pleaded.
Honor Ihuoma Onyebuchukwu, the Coordinator of Children with Cancer Intervention Initiative, also expressed gratitude to God Almighty for the success story recorded since the last 10 years.
“Our organisation have three survivors among all the cases of children with cancer since the organisation was founded, one of them has graduated with first class honour in 2019.
“By His grace another survivor is presently doing well in higher institution