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Senate moves to establish centre for cancer treatment

Senate moves to establish centre for cancer treatment

PRESS STATEMENT 

 

Senate Moves To Establish Centre For Cancer Treatment 

 

The Senate on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 debated and passed for Second Reading a Bill seeking to establish the National Centre for Cancer Treatment. It was sponsored by Sen. Oseni Yakubu (Kogi Central).

Leading the debate on the general principles of the Bill, Sen. Yakubu noted that cancer has become a global disease that accounts for one out of eight women expected to be either diagnosed with breast and/or cervical cancer in their lifetime; and two out of ten men expected to be diagnosed with prostate, lungs and/or colorectal cancer.

 

It is also well known that the various forms of cancer diseases have been more severe in Africa in general and Nigeria in particular- where resources and awareness are not readily available for prevention, diagnosis and treatment”, he said.

 

Sen. Yakubu added that statistics by the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that cancer is a major terminal ailment responsible for 7.8m deaths or 13 percent of all deaths worldwide, with 72 percent of such deaths occurring in middle income nations such as Nigeria.  

 

He decried the absence of data on the ailment in Nigeria to determine the correct number of persons affected, in order to ensure effective treatment. He disclosed that Nigeria is lagging behind when compared to its peers.

 

The lawmaker explained that the National Centre for Cancer Treatment Bill 2022, when passed and eventually signed into law, would provide a holistic national strategy for dealing with cancer ailment as a serious national agenda. 

 

He added that the Bill would also harness the required trained medical manpower in achieving an accessible, radical curative surgery, operations radiation, chemotherapy and the hormone therapy, all necessary for early detection and management of cancer conditions. 

 

The Bill, which was overwhelmingly supported by lawmakers, was referred to the Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary) having scaled through Second Reading. The Committee has four weeks to report back to the chamber in plenary. 

 

Signed:

 

Dr. Ezrel Tabiowo, FAI, FIMC, CMC, FCP, Fsca

 

Special Assistant (Press)

To President of the Senate 

 

Wednesday, May 11, 2022.

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