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| Last Updated: Jan 19th, 2012 - 11:25:19 |
Office of First Lady
The ICCA: Cancer and cancer patients
Nov 20, 2009, 12:07
| | It is an immutable fact that cancer patients undergo hardships in the cycle of the illness; from excruciating pains to loss of some organs or even their lives. It is multiple tragedies for most patients who apart from physical pains, have to contend with social stigma and financial stress.
There is no gainsaying the fact that ordinarily, health care in Nigeria is expensive talk much of cancer, especially in its advanced stage. Experts say about 83% to 87% of cancer patients in Nigerian present their problems very late. Some is the fear of discovery and what will follow after that: money, which distances them from going to hospitals. What will happen when the financial burden is lifted, of course early diagnosis.
The First Lady’s International Cancer Centre Abuja (ICCA), is out to help in palliative care and lessen the stress of the already stressful patients.
Hajia Turai Yar’Adua has generated requisite momentum to address the issue of awareness which has been identified as the bane of cancer prevention and treatment and with experts in the country providing the necessary supports the nation is set to witness a positive response in the fight against the dreaded disease.
The optimism of a victory in the fight stems from the fact that with early detection 90% of the disease could be cured with simple methods and technology.
For instance, palpitation can detect lumps in the breast, and further examination by medical experts can determine whether it is benign or malignant.
The cervical cancer which currently claims lives of many Nigerian women can also be detected by swap taste. The availability of HPV vaccine which experts believed has proven and documented efficacy is set to reverse the ugly trend. Our young girls and future generation of women will have no cause to despair. It’s the prayer of many that all other types of cancers could be immunized against and in a few years from now, join polio in the list of extinct diseases.
The prospect of the HPV vaccine and the fear of rejection due to ignorance like the fate suffered at a time by the polio vaccine informed the fears expressed by the First Lady which informed her call for intense media campaign as a safeguard against the melancholy of history repeating itself.
Nigeria with an estimated population of over 100 million in 1992 had an estimated 100,000 new cases of cancer per year. With the current population at 140 million coupled with increasing evolution of other causative factors, it is expected that new cases would rise to about 500,000 per year by 2015. If this trend is not tackled through appropriate actions- including prevention, increased public education and enlightment and early diagnosis with prompt curative treatment and palliative care for the advanced incurable cases.
The International Cancer Centre Abuja holds a promise to address these challenges as it is would not only be of international standard but also, a comprehensive cancer centre that is committed to promoting excellence in cancer management (diagnosis and treatment), cancer prevention, cancer education, training and research.
The ICCA is expected to be the apex institution in the country since its type does not exist as the entire entire nation has for now only cancer departments in some of the hospitals.
ICCA is a wakeup call to Nigerian philanthropists to come to terms with establishing not- for- profit hospitals that will compliment the general hospitals, which are the hope of common man. About 84% of hospitals in the United States of America are charitable institutions that exist to serve the best interest of their communities.
Currently six patients have benefitted from ICCA, and their surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy costs have been offset. However, the project is yet to be fully on the ground.
Most of these beneficiaries are less privileged. Yet, many people are receiving drugs from the temporary site of ICCA.
There are thousands of Nigerians on the street living with cancer and many will die of it, some oblivious of the cause of their death. With ICCA, cancer will soon be a non condemnation illness. When the first structure is put in place early diagnosis will help many to find out their status therefore, there is hope for everyone suffering from the disease.
Hence cancer is its priority; it will serve underserved rural women, which are out of reach to medical treatment some of which the fear of treatment cost has been acting as a bulwark against screening.
These people cannot be blamed considering poverty index of Nigeria, many have depleted finance. Even with buoyant finances cancer treatment wash-out treasury. Cancer problem is not only confined to Nigeria, it’s all over Africa. ICCA will accommodate patients from neighboring countries.
In Africa, literally every day hundreds possibly thousands of people die needlessly in pain from cancer for want of pain relief that could cost pennies rather than pounds. The basic infrastructure and resources to cope with the new health epidemic is basically not there, thus something need to be done.
Funding treatments has been a major problem in Africa. For instance radiotherapy is only available in 21 countries in Africa, compare to the developed world. There are about 4 radiotherapy machines per million population in UK and 8.0 machines per million populations in USA respectively, Nigeria has 1 megavoltage radiotherapy machine per 20 million populations. Africa in general has less than 100 radiotherapy machines in operation, which experts say fall short of the estimated need. Most of the radiotherapy machines are old and constantly breakdown thereby affecting care and treatment of cancer patients.
Screening, early diagnosis and the uptake of inexpensive drugs is equally important for patients. Health experts say high equipment costs, inadequate infrastructures, lack of qualified personnel and the flight of skilled health personnel has worsened the situation across the whole African continent.
Support for programmes for the care and treatment of cancer patients is still inadequate. Most African countries are still relying on support from international institutions which is now dwindling at a time experts say cancer rates in developing countries are rising.
Government cannot reach many places in Nigeria, hence the need for strong partnership between International Cancer Centre and Non Governmental Organizations is vital, so that NGOs can take care of people within their reach, so as to give their compatriots access to health care services needed.
It is worthy of note that about six governors’ wives have established Cancer Screening Centres in their states, this is line with taking the campaign to the rural people. The First Lady has been canvassing for the centres to reach Local government areas through wives of Local government chairmen with a view to making treatment accessible to those on all members of the society.
It would not be possible for many NGOs to establish cancer centres which cost a fortune. But building Waiting Homes for patients will help, this is the bane of cancer treatment, many patients don’t go back to hospitals for chemotherapy and radiation after surgery.
Surgery without chemo or radiation is as good as not carrying out the operation. Most of the patients come from distant places. When there is accessible accommodation, patients will be able to receive complete treatment.
Plans are in progress by Hajia Turai Yar’Adua to establish a Waiting Home in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika. Nigerians are encouraged to embrace philanthropy by becoming hospital friends.
Going back to earlier discussion of awareness, people should come to terms with cancer aftermath, no matter how successful its treatment has been, a person can hardly look like his/her former self. Many patients are ghost of their former selves.
It is advisable that wide awareness is created and adequate screening is carried out from time to time.
ICCA is a welcome development for not only cancer patients but all and sundry; considering problems of its treatment suffered by its patients.
Mobilizing the needed resources in quest to achieve the lofty ambitions of ICCA is challenging, for instance the fund raiser of 18th July, 2009, which targeted ten billion naira. N9.5billion pledges were made but surprisingly only 30 % of the said amount has been realized out of the total pledges.
If these pledges were not redeemed, ICCA will be a mirage, in spite of its ideals on the common man on the street. Making an allowance of its mandate it is hoped those who made pledges will urgently fulfill their promises.
© Copyright 2012 nigeriafirst.org
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