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Health

NGO advocates mandatory prostate cancer screening by govt

NGO advocates mandatory prostate cancer screening by govt
By Chinenye Offor
Screening
Abuja, May 23, 2019 (NAN) Mr Runcie Chidebe, the Executive Director, Project Pink Blue, an NGO, has urged the Federal Government to make prostate cancer screening mandatory in all public hospitals.
Chidebe made the appeal while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.
He noted that the alarming incidence of prostate cancer in the society called for urgent intervention from relevant authorities.
He recommended that once a man of 40 years and above visited a hospital it was imperative for him to undergo a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test, stressing that early detection is key for survival.
According to him, having compulsory prostate cancer test would help create awareness as well as reduce deaths associated with late detection.
He also suggested that companies should add prostate cancer screening in their insurance package and as well make life insurance mandatory just as it is for vehicle insurance.
Chidebe emphasised the need for the society to domesticate prostate cancer education materials in order to promote awareness on cancer risk factors, screening and early detection.
He further said that research conducted by his organisation found out that most Nigerian men over the age of 40 have not been screened for prostate cancer.
Chidebe decried low level of awareness as well as interest regarding the risk of prostate cancer as one of the factors that contribute to rise of the disease.
He added that only 40 percent of men who participated in the survey indicated interest in future yearly screening for prostate cancer which, he said, was not encouraging.
“There is no organised screenings or a national screening programme, what is currently available is sporadic screenings driven by non-profit and non-governmental organisations hosting medical missions in diverse communities.
“Only 13.8 per cent of Nigerian men have been screened for prostate cancer and out of 901 men only 124 have been checked for prostate cancer while 740 have not been screened.
“This result clearly explained the rationale for late detection of the disease and the increasing cancer deaths in the society.
“We found out also that most respondents make out of pocket payments for healthcare services which contributes to low screening turn out.
“Only 14.5 per cent and 4.2 per cent were covered by health insurance and their organisations, respectively,” he said.
Chidebe attributed these findings as some of the challenges faced by the Nigerian healthcare system which also slowed down the push for people to go for screening.
“This will slow the push to detect prostate cancer early as people may be discouraged from seeking professional health attention given the expected financial burden.
“In this study free PSA test was provided for all participants, however, PSA cost about N6,000 to N10,000.
“Prostate cancer treatment is a huge burden in Nigeria, a patient needs about N1.3 million to N3.3 million to treat prostate cancer and how many Nigerian men can afford it. Many of these indigent men will just decide to stay back home and die.
“With the poor national health insurance, it has become more financially stressful to cope with the burden of cancer in Nigeria because very few families can foot the bills of diagnosis, surgery and treatment,” he added.
He therefore urged the federal government to include cancer treatment in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) programme in order to reduce financial burden on families. (NAN)
CSO/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

NGO offers free breast, cervical cancer screening in Minna ‎

NGO offers free breast, cervical cancer screening in Minna ‎
NAN-H-‎19
Screening‎
By Mercy Osajiugo‎
Minna, Oct. 28, 2017 (NAN) Raise‎ Foundation, an NGO, says it provided free cervical and breast cancer screening to 617 females at the Kure Ultra Modern Market in  Minna, Niger.

The Cen‎tre Manager of the foundation, Ms Maureen Chawa, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Minna.‎

Chawa said that the number of women that turned up for the three-day screening was encouraging.‎

‎“We screened 381 females for breast cancer, 16 had lumps in their breast while all the 236 screened for cervical cancer had a negative result of Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA),” she said.‎

Chawa said that the turnout was relatively impressive but that she expected more women to take advantage of the free exercise.

“I was expecting a good turnout ‎because it was a free exercise, but the reverse was the case as many of them were busy in selling and buying‎ in the market.

“In spite of the fact that the exercise was brought down to the Primary Healthcare Centre in the market place they remained busy with their trade,” she said.

She explained that the beneficiaries that came for the screening were in the age range of 16 to 70 years.

‎Chawa advised women to pay more attention to their health before any other thing.

“I had expected that all the women traders who spend all their time in the market would have taken advantage of the exercise and avail themselves that free exercise.‎”

She explained that it was only when one has a good health that all opportunities can be maximally explored‎, adding that early detection of the ailment saves life and brings the situation under control.

Hajia Hadiza Yusuf, a Matron with the foundation, called on women from puberty to adulthood to take advantage of breast cancer screening.‎

“Cervical testing should not be undermined as‎ early detection will help nip cancer in the bud.

“It is safer, cheaper if it is dictated early but if it is already advanced we cannot treat it here,” she said‎.

She said that those that had lumps would be booked for surgery by the foundation.

She however referred those that could not be screened to locate them at their centre in Minna for the screening.‎‎‎ ‎

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise was the pet project of the Wife of Niger governor, ‎Dr Amina Bello. (NAN)
MNO‎/JPE/MST
Edited by Joseph Edeh/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

08034895018

Health

Expert advocates establishment of more cancer screening centres

NAN-HG-1

Cancer

By Maureen Ojinaka-Nwanosike

Enugu, Feb. 20, 2017(NAN) Prof. Chioma Okoye, a Lecturer at College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu has advocated the establishment of more cancer screening centres nationwide for adequate cancer treatment.

Okoye made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Monday.

She said that there was urgent need for the availability of more radiotherapy units in the country.

The professor noted that out of 12 radiotherapy units in Nigeria, only one at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital,Zaria was functioning.

She also called on government and other healthcare service providers to pay attention to the provision of adequate radiotherapy units to meet the need of the cancer patients.

“We, the healthcare providers, are calling on the government, that as a matter of urgency provide enough radiotherapy facilities for the treatment of cancer in the country.

“Nigeria by all standards, in terms of healthcare, should be having over 300 radiotherapy units across the country,” she said.

The lecturer urged people to live positive lifestyle, eat good food such as fruits and vegetables and observe balance diet to live healthy life and prevent diseases.

Okoye advised smokers to stop the habit, noting that smoking was very dangerous to public health causing cancer of the lungs in young and old people.(NAN)

OJI/DUA
Edited by Dada Ahmed

Health

Doctor recommends regular screening of girls for cancer

Doctor recommends regular screening of girls for cancer

NAN-HG-10

Screening

By Olasunkanmi Onifade

Abuja, Feb. 3, 2017(NAN) Dr Fred Achem, a gynaecologist with the Feropod Hospitals, Abuja, has recommended regular screening of girls between ages nine and 16 to detect early signs of cancer.

Achem gave the suggestion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, ahead of the World Cancer Day scheduled for Feb. 4.

He said that screening of young girls between these ages would help to detect early signs of cancer cells which could be dangerous.

“There is the need to do all we can to vaccinate young girls who are not yet in their reproductive age, so that they develop antibodies to the effect of this virus.

“The idea is that for those who are not that lucky, it is a good practice to have a pap smear done every two years.”

Achem said that there were some cells in the bodies that would detect if cancer cells would come in later on, adding that this can be done mainly through a blood test.

“There are pre-cancerous states in the body that can be detected by blood checks before cancer sets in; these changes could indicate what part of the body would become cancerous later on.

“An example is the alpha-fetoprotein tests, if elevated, shows the risk of cancer of the liver.

“There are other proteins in the system which thus indicates that specific cancers can arise later on, hence the need for regular tests and screenings,” he said.

Achem said that the advantage of screening and blood tests would help to build immunity against all forms of cancers in the body.

He said the tests could also be seen in the blood contents when screened, and things like ovarian cancers could be treated early, stating that benign ovarian cancers, if treated early, could be removed.

“A lot of ovarian tumors are benign and not malignant.

“When they are removed, they are sent to the pathologist for confirmation, so, the earlier the better.”

The physician said that in girls who were found to be negative after the Pap smear, it is advised that the girls repeat the smear after two years.

Achem said that in older women, malignant cancer cells had been found to be uncontrollable in growth, hence the need to have them removed before larger problems set in.

“What the Pap smear does is to stain the vaginal cells, so as to study its appearance.

“When they appear normal, then, the Pap smear is negative; if not, if it is positive, it means that there are traces of cancer in the linings of the vaginal”.

The doctor said that parents should have the culture of creating awareness among their wards and children, stating that early screening for cancer is the key to surviving all forms of cancers. (NAN)

OEO/FLP/MST

Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Muhammad Suleiman Tola