FG pledges support for women in tackling cancer

The Federal Government has pledged its support for a leadership programme aimed at empowering women in oncology to adequately address the high burden of cancer in the country.

This move is driven by the understanding that women play a vital role in advancing healthcare for women, particularly in the fight against breast and cervical cancer, which are the most common types of cancer affecting women in Nigeria.

Head of the National Cancer Control and Nuclear Medicine Programme at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Uchechukwu Nwokwu, who disclosed this to journalists during a sideline interview at the launch of the Leadership Programme for Women in Oncology (LPWO), noted that despite the success of the vaccination programme, some women have been hesitant to participate due to misconceptions about the vaccine.

Nwokwu observed that by supporting women in leadership roles in oncology, the government hopes to increase an uptake of the vaccine and other cancer prevention services.

He noted that the ministry recognizes the importance of early detection and vaccination in reducing the incidence of cancer like the human papillomavirus (HPV).

Leadership Programme for Women in Oncology (LPWO), is an initiative by the City Cancer Challenge Foundation (C/Can) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) to equip women oncologists in low- and middle-income countries with essential leadership skills to drive transformative change in cancer care.

He said, “The ministry is confident that empowering women in oncology leadership roles will have a positive impact on the country’s efforts to prevent and control cancer.”By supporting this initiative, the government aims to enhance the uptake of cancer care services, including vaccination, screening, and early detection”.

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“The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, a woman herself, has been instrumental in driving positive change in the oncology space.Her passion and leadership have yielded significant results, surpassing those of her predecessors.The ministry’s four-point agenda, which focuses on improving governance, population outcomes, value chain, and health technology, also aligns with the goals of the leadership program.”

Also speaking, Country General Manager, Roche, Dr Ladi Hameed said that the company had been working alongside local entities to build capacity, train healthcare providers, and ensure access to life-saving diagnostic tools, including those for breast cancer.

Hameed stated that Roche’s focus was not just on providing technology but ensuring that it builds a sustainable healthcare ecosystem in partnership with local stakeholders.

He said, “With support from global networks, we are seeing the potential for local solutions to make a real difference.This collaboration is vital to addressing the growing cancer burden.”

The Regional Director, Africa, and Europe, City Cancer Challenge Foundation (C/Can), Sophie Bussmann-Kemdjo, while speaking on the leadership programme, observed that having more in leadership position in the oncology space would contribute to positive outcomes for patients.

She noted that the cohort has women from Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe, and other parts of Africa considering that the issue being addressed is a global challenge.

“That challenge was also a pledge that led us to the Clinton Global Initiative platform in New York, where we launched it for 10 million funds for seven years, where we will be actually also scaling and listening, implementing solutions that will address this issue of gender gap,” she said.

“We have identified this in the work that we do in the cities through our engagement process when we do the due diligence, and when we also meet with our professional.”