Foundation launches alliance to transform cancer outcomes

The Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), in partnership with Amref Health Africa and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company has convened a stakeholders meeting to launch and present a business case for a new cancer alliance.

This move followed the successful call for the inclusion of cancer into the Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) framework of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC), during the Summit of the Legislative Network on Universal Health Coverage.

Founder-President of the WBFA, Toyin Ojora Saraki, at the launch of the alliance, in Abuja, stated that the new cancer alliance is aimed at transforming cancer health outcomes in Nigeria, which were found in a WBFA report released earlier this year to be linked to a complete lack of treatment infrastructure.

Saraki who expressed delight at the framework of the cancer alliance conceptualised by stakeholders, said that the cancer alliance will ensure affordability of care, ease of access to healthcare centres, call for increase in the number of trained healthcare practitioners available, and provide a less complex ecosystem where patients can receive support across the continuum of care.

She disclosed that the inauguration of the cancer alliance was a follow-up to the release by the Wellbeing Foundation Africa in April of its groundbreaking ‘Rapid Assessment of the Prevention and Control of Cancer in Nigeria’, report, the first independent national research on cancer provisions in the country.

The President further noted that the cancer alliance would work to mitigate the challenges identified by the pioneering report, and coordinate the transformation of cancer outcomes in Nigeria.

She stated: “Everyone should have a fighting chance of surviving cancer, whether they are rich or poor; or live in cities or rural areas.

“I am grateful to all our partners, in particular Amref Health Africa and Takeda, for their continued support towards curbing the scourge of cancer in Nigeria, and to the Federal Ministry of Health for its assistance and acknowledgment of the urgent state of cancer outcomes in Nigeria.”