Director General, National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, Dr. Usman-Malami Aliyu, has blamed shortage of oncologists in Nigeria on migration by doctors seeking greener pastures in foreign countries. He noted, however, that the Federal Government is training more oncologists to bridge gaps created as a result of the brain drain.
Aliyu, who disclosed this at a conference organised by ecancer.org in Abuja, said government is making efforts to ensure better treatment for cancer patients across the country.
According to him, the Federal Government is currently planning to buy more radiotherapy equipment for seven cancer treatment centres, including a linear accelerator.
“So many things are ongoing to boost cancer care in the country. We are not ahead but we are making very big efforts, and we have to commend the government of the day in all these,” he said, adding: “The Minister of Health is spearheading the entire process of procurement of required equipment for cancer care and diagnosis.”
Earlier, the President, Association of Radiation and Clinical Oncologists of Nigeria (ARCON), Dr. Nwamaka Lasebikan, said the conference was about advocating better care for cancer patients. She said ARCON wants government to put structures in place that would boost care of patients.
According to Lasebikan, one of the challenges in cancer care is that patients often present themselves when the problem is at advanced stage. “At this stage, the treatment is what we call palliative care. We are just trying to do what we can, to stop progression of the disease,” she explained.
She added: “Also, there’s limitation of access to treatment. We have, only, about 10 facilities across the country that have functional radiotherapy equipment. These centres are not enough because many patients have to travel far to access radiotherapy treatment. Another issue is financial challenge. The treatment of cancer anywhere in the world is expensive.”
