The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, says over 120,000 new cancer cases are reported yearly in Nigeria.
According to The PUNCH, the Institute’s Director General, Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu, who disclosed this at the 7th Annual Conference of the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists, ANHEJ, at Akwanga, Nasarawa State.
He vowed that NICRAT would work with all relevant stakeholders to disrupt the dreaded disease in Nigeria through awareness creation and improved access to treatment and research.
He regretted that the statistics of incidences and deaths occasioned by the disease was alarming.
He explained that his institute was doing everything possible to halt the disease in the country.
Represented by Malam Hassan Zaggi at the conference organized by ANHEJ in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, WHO, Aliyu explained that the institute has mapped out strategies to increase experts in the area of cancer by the training and retraining of different categories of health workers in the country.
According to him, statistics indicated that in 2020, an estimated 78,000 people died as a result of cancer related complications.
Out of this number, 44,699 were females while 34,200 were males.
“With these gory statistics, NICRAT is determined to work with all relevant stakeholders to disrupt cancer in Nigeria through intense awareness creation and improved access to treatment and research.
“We have mapped out strategies to geometrically increase cancer experts in the country through training and retraining of all categories of health professionals.”
