The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministry of Health to commission a national survey to generate reliable data on prevalence of the several cancers, plaguing the Nigerian people and the availability of laboratory diagnostic facilities such as immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology technique as well as radio-diagnostics.
The Green Chamber also asked the Federal Government to support the training institutions such as the post graduate medical colleges, post basic schools of nursing and medical research institutions to produce more specialists for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
It called on the Federal Government to
facilitate the establishment of stand-alone standard comprehensive cancer centres in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country;
The House further urged the Federal Ministry of Health to partner with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and other relevant stakeholders and development partners to harness a multi- sectoral effort to improve cancer care in Nigeria.
These resolutions were reached on Thursday during plenary, following the adoption of a motion on: “Need to Address the Incidence of Mortality from Cancer in Nigeria, moved by Samuel Adejare (APC, Lagos).
Moving the motion, Rep. Adejare noted that the World Cancer Day is marked on 4 February every year to remind the world of the scourge of Cancer around the globe and to stimulate Stakeholders to create awareness and step up activities towards stemming the burden and mortality of cancer.
He also noted that there are over 800,000 new cases in Africa, 1/3 of which are Nigerians and 86% of them may die within the first year of diagnosis of the disease 35% of which is caused by preventable infection diseases and conditions.
The lawmaker acknowledged that by the World Health Organization (WHO) standards, Nigeria needs 180 radiotherapy machines for the over 180 million people, yet there are only eight (8) functional machines available in Nigeria for both treatment and palliation.
Adejare said he was cognizant that Nigeria has only 5% of the required specialized personnel for cancer care which includes pathologists, radiotherapists, oncologists, gynaecologists and oncology nurses, which is inadequate to care for the nation.
He expressed concern that going by the current trend, cancer is fast becoming a national epidemic and a serious health emergency with dire consequences if no urgent and effective intervention is instituted”.
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