…2 Albinos die monthly-Albinism association
By Our Reporter
Concerned by the deaths of many Albinos as a result of skin cancer in the country, the Director General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu, has promised to partner with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to ensure that all Albinos and indeed, disable Nigerians are enrolled in health insurance.
This is even as the Albinism Association of Nigeria has revealed that at least, two albinos die every month in different parts of the country as a result of skin cancer.
The NICRAT Director General made the vow when the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons With Disability (NCPWD), Mr. James David Lalu, and his management team visited NICRAT in Abuja, yesterday.
Prof. Malami also promised to look into the comatose free cancer treatment programe for people living with disability in the country which was introduced by the previous administration with the aim of bringing it back to life.
“The activation of the free cancer services that were given to people living with disability during the previous administration, is something that we need to look into.
“I want to assure the Executive Secretary that we will look at what happened, what led to the suspension of that programme and see to the reactivation of that programme,” the NICRAT Director General assured.
On the partnership with NHIA to enroll disable persons in health insurance, Prof. Malami said: “The NHIA actually covers some forms of cancers. This is an area this our collaboration can cover to see that actually a sizeable number or almost all of the people with disabilities are covered in NHIA. We will have that cancer of the skin covered comfortably.”
He explained that the Cancer Health Fund (CHF) that is meant to support the treatment of vulnerable people in the country is in a pilot stage, but that following its transfer to NICRAT from the Federal Ministry of Health, it is being remodeled to work optimally.
“After the announcement, the Institute reached out to the National Health Insurance Authority to design a model to implement and also improve the contribution from government and public sector.
“We are trying to reposition the fund in such a way that it will get the trust of the people within the country and get more support from them and add it with what the government is giving so that we can implement the programe,” Prof. Malami explained.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons With Disability (NCPWD), Mr. James David Lalu, called for collaboration with NICRAT in the area of having access to cancer screening and treatment for Albinos and people living with disability in general.
He expressed concern that many Albinos in the country die as a result of skin cancer due to lack of prompt access to screening and treatment.
Mr. Lalu called for easy accessibility to the cancer treatment centres in the six geopolitical zones and the 36 states of the federation by disable persons.
“Most of our albinos in the remote areas may have skin cancer and may not know it, before it is detected it has already grown and become something big. Those who live in rural communities are the most disadvantaged as some of them die before having access to treatment.
“Most times before they have access to treatment, they have gotten to a stage of no return. We pray you will have a way to help so that we can save the lives of our members.
“Another area of collaboration with your institute is to enable us have access to sun cream so that our Albino members can use them to help minimize the impact of sun.
“We want to also see how we can collaborate with your institute in the area of advocacy, sensitization on prevention of skin cancer for albinos in the country.
“It is important to create this awareness for them across the federation so that we can minimize the scourge of skin cancer among the albinos in the country.”
