From Maurice Okafor, Enugu
The federal government in partnership with the National Institute of Cancer Research ant Treatment(NICRAT) is assiduosly working to curtail the rising cases of cervical cancer disease in Nigeria, through training of health workers, who will administer preventive vaccines free on Nigerian women.
The three-day training is currentty ongoing simultaneously across the six geo-political zones of the country.
The training for selected health workers in the South East zone, who will further the train others, is holding at Poly Clinic General Hospital, Asata, Enugu.
The South-East coordinator of the programme, Dr Nwankwo Kenechukwu, disclosed that cervical cancer disease is spreading fast globally and is second to the breast cancer disease.
He said unlike the breast cancer disease, once it is detected early, it can be cured before it develops into full cancer.
He stressed that the training is geared towards training of some health workers in the zone who will be imparted with adequate knowledge of the disease do as to train other health workers in their respective states, thereafter.
Dr Nwankwo revealed that the vaccines to prevent cervical cancer disease among Nigerian women, will henceforth be provided by the federal government and administered free.
The Director General/Chief Executive Officer, National Institute of Cancer Research and Treatmentv(NICRAT), Professor Usman Malami Aliyu, commended the federal government for the assitance to NICRAT and expressed optimism the partnership will go along way in achieving the desired goal of eradicating cervical cancer disease in Nigeria.
Prof. Aliyu who was represented by Aliyu Sani Buguda, a staff of NICRAT, also described cervical cancer as a preventive disease and urged all Nigerian women to go for free vaccination that will be provided by the federal government.
The resource persons, who are training the selected health workers in the South-East zone, described the programme as timely
Prof. Theophilus Nwankwo. a gynacologist at Universtity of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH, Ituku Ozalla, Enugu state, lectured on ‘ Anatomy of Female Genital System,Physiology and embroyology of cervix and transformation zone’.
He disclosed that virus manifesting to cervical cancer disease in women is transimissible through sexual intercourse.
He advised every female above the 18 years of age to go for the free vaccines, being provided by the government.
In a chat, one of the trainees, Dr Douglas Chimezie Nwagbo, stressed the training by the health experts will broaden their knowledge on cervical cancer disease and it’s treatment, especially as the drugs will be made available to be administered freely on women.
The three-day training titled,” Close the Care Gaps Cervical Cancer Capacity Building’ for South-East Zone, with about 30 participants selected from the five states in the zone, continues today at same venue, Poly Clinic General Hospital.Asata Enugu and will be rounded up on Wednesday October 9.
