FG Is Giving Priority Attention To Cancer Prevention, Treatment, Over 14 Million Girls Have Been Vaccinated-Salako
Nigeria government under the leadership of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR is giving priority attention to cancer prevention, treatment and control. The administration is providing primary and secondary prevention services and also expanding treatment infrastructure for comprehensive treatment of cancer cases in the country. This was stated by Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare on Wednesday at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Mobile Truck Clinic, HPV Molecular Laboratory and Research Hub held at the University of Ibadan. According to Salako, as part of primary prevention strategy for cervical cancer, the Federal Government has launched the most ambitious cancer prevention programme through the introduction of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination (HPV) to her routine immunization in Nigeria in 2023. Led by Her Excellency Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady of Nigeria, the government has, to date, vaccinated more than 14 million girls.
He noted that the global burden of cancer is substantial and it is growing, with millions of new cases and deaths occurring annually. In 2022 alone, there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths. Lung cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer are known to be among the most common types in men and women with cancer burden disparities existing across different regions and socioeconomic groups. He said that the reality is that low- and middle-income countries including Nigeria are faced with a disproportionate share of cancer burden.
“Cancers associated with infectious agents have been found to contribute significantly to the global cancer burden, representing roughly 13 % of global cancer cases. The prevalence of infection-related cancers also disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries many of them in sub-Saharan Africa, where factors such as inadequate healthcare infrastructure and limited access to vaccination programs exacerbate the issue. In LMICs, nearly 20-30% of all cancer cases are associated with HPV especially cervical, anal, and oral/oropharyngeal (OOPC) cancers.
“Evidence suggests that Nigeria has one of the highest HPV infections in the world especially among sexually active population, and it also harbours high burden of HPV-associated cancers in the general and key affected population. Nigeria alone accounted for nearly half of all reported cervical cancers, 62.6% of anal cancer, and 56% of all oral and oral and oropharyngeal cancers (OOPC) among the 16 West African countries. On another front, our national prevalence of 1.4% in the general population is the fourth-highest national burden of HIV worldwide. This scenario is an additional risk burden as women living with HIV (WLHIV) have a six-time risk of HPV infection which could progress to cervical cancer. HIV care and treatment programs offer a critical prevention opportunity to these women with screening and treatment for pre-cancerous lesions.”
The Minister said Nigeria contributes significantly to the global burden of cervical cancer with incidence of about 18.4 per 100,000 women and an estimated 12,075 women diagnosed every year. This makes cervical cancer the second leading cause of female cancer deaths in Nigeria. The inequitable distribution of cervical cancer cases and deaths is directly linked to disparities in access to secondary prevention.
“The grim reality, alongside the urgency to protect the health and dignity of over 60 million girls and women aged 15 years above who are at risk necessitated the implementation of a multi-pronged, multisectoral and across society efforts to operationalise Nigeria’s response in allignment with WHO 90-70-90 targets for cervical cancer elimination by 2030.
“Nigeria government under the leadership of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR is giving priority attention to cancer prevention, treatment and control. We are providing primary and secondary prevention services and also expanding treatment infrastructure for comprehensive treatment of cancer cases in the country. As part of primary prevention strategy for cervical cancer, we launched the most ambitious cancer cancer prevention programme through the introduction of HPV vaccination to our routine immunization in Nigeria in 2023. Led by Her Excellency Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady of Nigeria, we have to date vaccinated more than 14 million girls.
“We have established a National Taskforce on cervical cancer elimination in Nigeria chaired by a former Minister of Health and a member of HPV Consortium, Professor Isaac Adewole, FAS. Earlier this year in June, the task force launch the Partnership for Cervical Cancer Elimination in Nigeria (PECCIN) to accelerate the efforts to eliminate cervical cancer in Nigeria by 2030. Through NICRAT, we have developed and we are implementing the National Strategic Cancer Control Plan (2023–2027), which prioritises cervical cancer screening and early detection as a national health objective.
“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, 6 cancers centres of excellence are being established (1 per geopolitical zone) to provide comprehensive cancer prevention services, diagnosis and treatment. Three of the centers are now ready for commissioning while the remaining 3 will be commissioned on or before February, 2026. In addition to the 6 centres of Excellence, 7 others federal centres are offering oncology sevices accross the country. We intend to sustain this initiative throughout the life span of this administration and in the 2025 appropriation year, our plan is to upgrade 6 additional federal institutions to oncology centres of excellence so that before 2030, every part of this country would have been equipped to treat all forms of cancers. This is our unique strategy to deliver on the WHO global target of eliminating cervical cancer by 2030 and address the challenges of other cancers in the country.”
In order to reduce financial hardship of cancer treatment, Salako said, the Federal government continues to appropriate resources to sustain the cancer health fund while also working towards a unique approach using the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund and other mechanisms to create a Catastrophic Health Insurance Fund in order to support patients with cancers and other finance intensive chronic diseases. FG has also reconstituted and reenergized her Nuclear Medicine Technical Working Group to enhance her capacity as country for cancer staging, treatment planning, response monitoring and recurrence detection.
Due to lack of access as a result of financial constraints, distance and poor connection to specialised facilities prevent timely care, Salako said the use of innovative strategy like the Mobile Truck Clinic that could help bridge the gaps is therefore a welcome initiative.
“There is no doubt that using Mobile Truck Clinic to bring essential screening services directly to the people, especially those in rural and underserved communities will help us detect diseases like cervical and other cancers at early stages and increase the chances of cure for cancer cases. It will also help to screen for other non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes across the population.
“This approach is people-centred, cost-effective, and aligns with the national strategy to promote Universal Health Coverage and integrated primary healthcare delivery. I commend the John R Flanagan Foundation in United States for supporting the building and equipping of this mobile truck clinic for cancer screening in Nigeria through the collaboration between the Northwestern University and College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. The groundbreaking of the Mobile Truck Clinic, the HPV Molecular Laboratory and the HPV Multidisciplinary Research Hub is historic and commendable. These facilities are not just infrastructure; they are symbols of a new direction in how we deliver healthcare and conduct translational research. They represent a bold vision where academic knowledge is translated into practical, community-level impact. It is a promise of greater access, early diagnosis, better treatment, and stronger partnerships.”
