• Awaits Presidency Approval On Anti-cancer Bill

The Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS) has announced September 25 as date to get the first phase of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine for girls between ages nine and 14 to fight cervical cancer.

The society noted that the introduction of the HPV vaccine will prevent girls from contracting the disease in the near future, as it observed that cases of cancer of the cervix is on the increase among ladies and women in the country.

The President, NCS, Dr. Adamu Alhassan Umar, disclosed this at the 2nd yearly education competition of Atinuke Cancer Foundation, themed: “Knowledge conquers cancer, let’s kill it.”

Adamu said there are three most common types of cancer not only in Nigeria, but all around the world, which are breast cancer, cervical cancer and prostate cancer.

According to him, the HPV vaccine is not accessible in Nigeria because it’s very expensive, so it’s not affordable to most victims.

The NCS boss noted that because of the price of the vaccine and increase in the number of victims, members of the society met with government, policy makers and stakeholders on how the vaccine could be made accessible to young girls and ladies as part of immunization programmes.

“The National Primary Health Care agency of Nigeria will roll out the first phase of the vaccines free of charge to 16 states for now,” he said.

Adamu said the vaccine will go a long way in changing the statistics of cancer burden in the country, particularly cervical cancer.

“NCS is strongly partnering with national health care agencies to make this vaccine reach everyone. Actually, we are starting with 16 states and will extend to other states as time goes on.”

Adamu also announced that the society was sponsoring an Anti-cancer Bill and hoped that it would be incorporated into the curriculum.

According to him, the bill targets students in secondary and tertiary institutions, and is aimed at teaching and creating awareness on how to detect cancer early and ways to prevent it.

He said the bill had been passed by lawmakers and was awaiting the president’s assent.

Adamu appreciated the Atinuke Cancer Foundation for creating awareness on the scourge.

“The Foundation has been impacting so much knowledge into teenagers since they started this annual competition and I must say the foundation has done so well,” Adamu said.

The convener of the event and founder, Atinuke Cancer Foundation, Mrs Tinuke Lawal, said the yearly competition among Secondary Schools was aimed at improving knowledge, awareness and access to healthcare.

She said some people believed cancer is a spiritual attack when it is just a disease that can infect anyone.

“In 2014, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, little did I know that I will have the grace and opportunity to stand before you to share my experience and to advocate against the scourge.

“It was the most harrowing time of my life; I wasn’t sure I was going to live or survive it, since the belief was that cancer kills and then, Nigeria lacked the equipment for treatment of cancer.”

She noted that some remarkable progress concerning cancer treatment in Nigeria is being made, especially in the area of equipment and facilities.

This is not to say that cancer treatment in Nigeria is where it ought to be yet, but it has gone far beyond where it was,” she said.

Oncologist and consultant, Jakaranda Cancer Centre, Dr. Ololade Kehinde, lauded the Foundation for the awareness, especially among teenagers.

He said the foundation has done well in going down to the rural areas too and letting them know what cancer is all about and the ways to prevent it.

Ololade noted that early detection was key to survival as cancer has stages. “If people have quality health care and experts to treat them, cancer patients will definitely do well.”

At the competition, Bada Abdulsalam from Oriwu Senior Model College, Ikorodu, came first and was rewarded with the sum of N500, 000. Oloyede Success from Baptist Boys High School came second and was rewarded with a video camera, while Destiny Oruko from Adelaja Senior Secondary School was second runner-up and got a new Android phone. (The Guardian)

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