As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark World Cancer Day, people suffering from the disease have lamented poor access to care and high cost of treatment in the country.

They said there are inadequate treatment centres, dearth of advanced equipment as well as poor maintenance of critical cancer care equipment in the country.

According to them, this has further reduced the survival rate from the disease in the country.

Some of the patients who spoke with Daily Trust, called on governments at all levels to close cancer care gaps and subsidise treatment to ensure early diagnosis and quality care.

The cancer patients also said the availability and affordability of critical machines in the country will help ensure effective diagnosis and treatment of cancer and further enhance the survival rate.

Daily Trust gathered that only a few tertiary hospitals in Nigeria have cancer centres and radiotherapy machines. Experts said the lack of maintenance culture and lack of qualified personnel to handle the machines also count.

Research showed that cancer treatment is very expensive and many patients in the country are either unable to afford the out-of-pocket cost for care or sustain it when they begin their treatment

Nigeria records about 79,542 of cancer deaths annually, according to the International Agency for the Research on Cancer (IARC). The agency said 127,763 new cases of cancer were also recorded in the country in 2022. Experts said this further underscores the need to improve survival and reduce death rate in the country.

 

Patients share experiences

A cancer survivor, Rosemary Friday, 39, said it has not been easy for her since her diagnosis in 2022.

“The financial burden is huge. I thought I was doing well till this disease came. Now, I have to borrow from friends and family to survive as my business cannot pay for the illness and feeding at the same time. In fact for some time after treatment I cannot go to the market,” she said.

Hassan Lawal, 42, lives in Yobe and was diagnosed of an oral cancer. He was referred to the National Hospital, Abuja, for some of his treatments. It was not easy for him to pay for his treatments and cater for his brother that abandoned his job to take care of him. At a time the radiotherapy machines there had a problem and he had to be referred to the teaching hospital in Lagos.

“I wish cancer treatment can be made free like it is for HIV. It will give us respite,” he said.

He called on government, policymakers to create appropriate policies to bridge the gaps and ensure availability of cancer centres for screening, treatment and palliative care.

A patient who suffers from prostate cancer and craves anonymity lamented that there were only a few experts and centres treating cancer in Nigeria.

He said, “For instance, I went to a federal medical centre in the South-East that had no Oncologists, yet they were treating cancer patients.

“How will patients get better? The burden of the disease is huge. Also, imagine all the stress of travelling, paying large sums of money, feeling pains and still not getting better. The cancer treatment centres now have very few specialists because of the Japa syndrome, so patients have to wait for a very long time to access care. We are given long consultation and treatment dates and have to wait long hours to see the doctor.”

Sunday Buchu  ,54, lives in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. He was living fine with his family until he was diagnosed with colon cancer.

He was referred to Abuja for treatment and had to live with relatives in the city for six months.

“Though I feel better, I have lost my source of livelihood. My wife and kids are suffering back home. We sold my land and properties for me to receive treatment here,” he narrated.

Gloria Okwu, a breast cancer survivor and programme coordinator of Project PINK BLUE, said “This year’s World Cancer Day is “UNITED BY UNIQUE.” As a cancer survivor myself, this year’s theme resonates with me greatly. It means that cancer is more than just a medical diagnosis; cancer is a deeply personal matter, and behind every diagnosis lies a unique human story; this could be a story of grief, pain, healing, resilience, love and otherwise.

“For this reason, every cancer is unique, and we must be united to create a world where we look beyond the disease and see the person before the patient. Hence, the government and all partners in cancer care and treatment should adopt a patient-centred approach to cancer care and treatment and not a one-size-fits-all approach.”

Runcie Chidebe, a cancer advocate and executive director of Project PINK BLUE, said cancer treatment centres are so far away that only 60 per cent of Nigerians are close to comprehensive cancer treatment centres in Nigeria.

He said, “We are calling on the federal, state governments and all other private sectors to invest in advanced cancer technologies, precision medicine, targeted therapy and medical equipment instead of just building hospitals. “Building beautiful cancer hospitals is good, but buildings alone cannot save cancer patients; buildings alone cannot reduce the burden of cancer in Nigeria or give cancer patients the best treatment.”

He continued, “It is excellent cancer equipment such as PET CT Scans, brachytherapy, and newer radiotherapy machines that can be used to detect and treat patients. It is the advanced medicines such as precision medicine, including targeted therapy that can target the cancerous tumour that is most needed in Nigeria. It is the empowerment of the cancer workforce, such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, pathologists and other professionals who would operate the machine and prescribe the medicines that would save cancer patients. Instead of just building, the government and private sector partners should invest in the existing cancer centres and hospitals and use the funds for buying blocks and aluminium to purchase the equipment, precision medicine, advanced medicines and workforce.”

 

Cancer fund needs more allocation

President of the Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS), Prof. Abidemi Omonisi, on his part, called on the National Assembly to review the N150 million allocated to the Cancer Health Fund (CHF) in the 2025 budget.

The CHF is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Health and some private sector partners, aimed at supporting the treatment of indigent cancer patients. It commenced in 2021 and supports patients with three types of cancers, breast, cervical and prostate.

Prof. Omonisi said the amount was grossly inadequate and that there was need to increase it considering the cost of treatment and number of patients in the country.

He said, “We appeal to them to increase the amount allocated to the fund, because this amount is as good as letting many of the cancer patients die this year.”

 

More centres coming

The Federal Ministry of Health said it was working towards establishing six new cancer treatment centres in tertiary hospitals across the geopolitical zones of the country.

The ministry said the centres would be established in the following hospitals – University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State (UNTH), Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Zaria, Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) Benin, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) Jos, and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos, while the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) is being upgraded.

Also the Director General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu, said the federal government is working towards addressing all challenges to cancer care in the country.

He said the government is working towards establishing a preventive clinic for cancer in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country.

He added, “With the establishment of these screening clinics, we intend to have places where people could walk in and be attended to by physicians purely for screening and preventive services.”

The NICRAT DG further stated that the agency was working towards establishing a centralised national cancer registry in the country, adding that doing so would help improve data management for cancer patients.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, called on stakeholders to pay attention to the prevention and reduction of the cancer burden in the country.

Speaking in Abuja during the International World Cancer Week, he said the federal government remained committed to the fight against the disease.

He said cancer is among the fastest growing, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria.

He added that, “NCDs including cancers are the fastest growing segment of the country’s burden of morbidity and mortality, small but rapidly growing. And we don’t have the luxury of waiting until more people have cancer to deal with it.”