The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Prof. Bissallah Ahmed Ekele, has called on Nigerians to avail themselves for regular cancer symptoms screening, saying that early diagnoses and management reduce its prevalence.
Prof. Ekele gave the advice when the wives of six governors from Kebbi, Adamawa, Kwara, Benue, Ogun and Jigawa states paid an advocacy visit on the teaching hospital in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Ekele noted that breast, cervix and prostate cancer remained the most common types of cancer and are expensive to treat.
He however, disclosed that there are lots of interventions from the government to cancer patients.
“There are eay signs to this ailments and early detection is one of the strategies in cancer management since it is difficult to treat when they reach advanced stages in a patient,” he said.
According to him, late presentation of most cancer cases in the hospitals had remained the major challenge in the treatment and management of the disease.
“We have breast and cervical cancer for the women and prostate cancer for men; these are the common diseases in our environment.
“Cancer has a lot of financial implications, the poor and the rich suffer from it and when it comes to the poor unless support comes once in a while.
“So, my advice is that we must all get close to health facilities, our doctors, physicians, nurses and follow guidelines available for preventing cancer cases,” he said.
The CMD urged Nigerians to always seek relevant health information as that was crucial to having a healthy lifestyle.
He further decried the general lack of interest in voluntary health check-ups in the country, saying that the situation has often worsened minor health challenges.
Earlier, the Kebbi state governor’s wife, Dr Zainab Bagudu who led the delegation announced the donation of one million naira to 10 cancer patient at the hospital, maintaining that poverty has been a major impediment for several patients to afford treatment in the country.
Mrs Bagudu, who is also the Founder of Medicaid Cancer Foundation, explained that early detection and early treatment save lives and some people got diagnosed on time, but lack of funds hampers their survival chances.
She called for the creation of strategic cancer intervention organisations across board for improved awareness and to scale up cancer treatment and prevention in the country.
She also called on relevant stakeholders from different organisations to join hands with the traditional institutions in the fight against cancer in the country.
