Medical practitioners lament poor priority given to cancer

• Only Two Machines Working In Nigeria
• World Bank Disburses 12m To Private Medical Practitioners In Ondo

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Ondo State government hospitals’ chapter, has condemned the poor priority placed on cancer in the country by the government.

A consultant obstetrician and gynecologist, Sunday Adeboye, said this yesterday at the 4th annual general meeting and 2017 scientific conference of the association, themed: “Cancer: the ravaging menace.”

Adeboye decried the growing incidence of the disease in the country and the poor attention given to it by government at all levels.

According to him, it has affected the Nigerian population so much with devastating effects on almost 10 per cent of the people, revealing that breast cancer has the highest Impact.

He noted that the dearth of cancer management centers in Nigeria has negative implications on the awareness against the disease, prevention and cure, saying it also makes data collation extremely difficult.

“As we speak now, there are only two radiotherapy machines workingî. Adeboye, said government should prioritize the management of the disease by creating more cancer treatment centres.

The MDCAN vice chairman, Dr. Ishaq Ojodu, also lamented that the dearth of cancer management centres in the country had drastically slowed down the awareness and sensitization to finding lasting solution to the ailment.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria State Health Investment Project (NSHIP), a World Bank assisted project, has disbursed N12m investment credit to eight private hospitals in Ondo State to purchase more facilities and equipment for quality health delivery in the state.

While presenting a cheque of N1.5m yesterday, state coordinator of NSHIP, Adijat Ige, said the scheme was vital to improving health care delivery in the state.

Ige said the project deemed it right to engage private sector under the aegis of Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) as critical stakeholders. She noted that the investment credit, which would soon be extended to other 17 councils of the state, was released to the private hospitals to purchase basic health facilities and equipment.