…To sign MoU with Kebbi govt
By Our Reporter
The Director General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu, has called on the 36 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to invest and put structures in place that will fast-track the fight against cancer in their respective states.
He also reiterated the commitment of NICRAT to support, collaborate and work closely with state governments across the country to fight against cancer.
Prof. Malami stated this when a delegation from the Kebbi State Cancer Control Programme chaired by the Wife of the Governor, Dr. Nafisa Nasiru Idris, who is also the Founder of NANAS Foundation, visited him in Abuja, recently.
The delegation was led by the Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Comrade Yunusa Musa Ismail, accompanied by the Special Adviser to the Wife of Governor on Health Matters, Hajiya Salamatu Bala Tafida and the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Health, Dr. Shehu Nuhu Koko.
The NICRAT Director General further solicited all state governments in the country to consider making huge investment in cancer prevention, control and treatment so as to reduce the burden of the disease and also give succour to those already affected in their states.
While commending the Kebbi State delegation for the visit, Prof. Malami said he was aware of the efforts and structures put in place by successive governments in the state to fight cancer, noting that Kebbi state is leading in the country in terms of cancer control programs.
He also applauded the Kebbi State Government for establishing the State Cancer Control Program since 2019, developing a 5-year Strategic Plan (2019-2023) and their collaboration with reputable local and international organisations to improve cancer care in the state.
Prof. Malami disclosed that the National Cancer Health Fund (NCHF) which is aimed at assisting indigent cancer patients in the country is currently undergoing some reforms, expressing optimism that in the next few weeks, Nigerians will begin to feel the impact of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government in terms of cancer care.
He noted that the Institute is partnering with herbal medicine practitioners in order to tap from the huge herbal resources available in the country for the treatment of cancers.
The NICRAT Director General said that in the next few days, NICRAT will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kebbi State Government in the area of cancer prevention and control.
Earlier, the Wife of the Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Nafisa Nasiru Idris, commended NICRAT for the innovations so far introduced in the fight against cancer in Nigeria, expressing confidence that with the momentum the Institute is moving, the country will get it right and win the fight against cancer.
Represented by her Special Adviser on Health Matters, Hajiya Salamatu Bala Tafida, the Wife of the Governor assured that NANAS Foundation and the Kebbi State Cancer Control Program are ready to work closely with NICRAT to ensure that residents of Kebbi are free from cancer and those who are already affected get the needed help to live normal lives.
Speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Kebbi State Ministry of Health, Dr. Shehu Nuhu Koko, said that the state is seeking for partnership with NICRAT in the areas of cancer awareness and treatment.
Dr. Nuhu revealed that some of the many structures put in place by the state government for cancer care and control include a costed Cancer Control Plan, a chemotherapy centre and Cancer Registries.
He assured that the state government is determined to maintain and sustain the achievements so far recorded and also expand access to free cancer treatments in the state.
It would be recalled that the former governor of Kebbi State, Senator Atiku Bagudu and his wife, Dr. Zainab Bagudu, initiated and championed the intense war against cancer during their 8-year tenure as Governor of Kebbi state.
Their legacies in the fight against cancer in Kebbi state are still visible and being sustained by the current governor and his wife through her NGO-NANAS Foundation in collaboration with the State Cancer Control Programme.
