By MUFTAU OGUNYEMI

No fewer than 5,000 women from the three senatorial districts in Ondo state will benefit from the free cervical cancer screening by the state government.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Ondo State Ministry of Health and Office of the Wife of the Governor partner to organise a free secondary prevention programme for cervical cancer.

Dr Banji Ajaka, State Commissioner for Health, made this known at the inauguration of cervical cancer secondary prevention programme on Monday in Akure.

Ajaka, who said that the state government had been championing the fight against cancer, said that Ondo State was one of the leading states in the fight against the killer disease.

“Cervical cancer is a preventable disease. It’s also curable if detected early and adequately treated.

“In Nigeria, cervical cancer has been reported as the second most common cancer(14.6 per cent of all cancer cases) among Nigerian women.

“About 53.3 million women are estimated to be at risk of developing cervical cancer with a prevalence rate of 33.0 per 100,000 while the estimated mortality rate is16.8 per cent.

“Facility baseline study on secondary prevention of cervical cancer was conducted in February and 10 facilities were recommended to pilot the programme.

“We are now at the stage of flag-off and training of health workers for programme implementation.

“So, 5,000 residents (women) will benefit from free cervical cancer screening across the three senatorial districts. This will further strengthen our strategy in eliminating cervical cancer among women in the state,” he said.

He appreciated Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for releasing the counterpart fund for the programme, saying the support of the wife of the governor towards actualisation of state population based cancer registry was timely and commendable.

In her speech, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, Wife of the State Governor, thanked the state ministry of health for working with all relevant organisations to ensure effective and efficient cervical cancer training and treatment in the state.

“Over the past few months, we have worked tiredlessly to ensure no woman in Ondo State die of cervical cancer by ensuring they have access to periodical training of early detection of the disease,” she said.

Anyanwu-Akeredolu, who called on medical doctors and nurses in the state to put in their best towards ensuring women were free from the disease, appreciated the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) for supporting the state in elimination of cervical cancer.

“We have commenced a good work and we must not relent at this point because it is time to put more efforts to ensure this service reach all women in the state.

“Our doctors and nurses must also ensure that the future of our mothers, sisters, wives and daughters are not jeopardise and none must lose their lives to cervical cancer again.

“Cervical cancer is a preventable cancer that is why we are expanding access to treatment for our women with pre-cancerous lesions and palliative care for women with invasive cancer. So, no woman should die from it,” she said. (NAN)

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