Cancer Day: NGO seeks collective efforts to close cancer care gap
The ↑↓GivingTide International, an NGO, has called on everyone, collectively and individually, to commit to the effort to close the cancer care gap by supporting the BIG WAR Against Cancer.
Dr Abia Nzelu, the Executive Secretary of the organisation, made the call in a statement in commemoration of the 2022 World Cancer Day (WCD) on Friday in Lagos.
Supreme reports that the WCD is celebrated annually on Feb. 4 to inspire greater awareness of cancer and action to better prevent, detect and treat the disease.
Supreme also reports that WCD 2022 marks the first year of a new three-year campaign centred on the issue of equity with the campaign theme 'Close the care gap'.
This year's campaign raises awareness about the lack of equity in cancer care.
Nzelu said that in 2020, there were about 19.3 million new cases and 10 million cancer deaths worldwide.
According to her, if no bold action is taken to appropriately treat and manage the growing cancer cases, an estimated 28.4 million new global cancer cases will occur in 2040, a 47% rise from 2020.
She explained that 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in developing nations like Nigeria due to lack of access to optimal care.
According to her, Nigeria is currently estimated to have 233,911 cancer cases, with 124,815 new cases and 78,899 cancer deaths, yearly.
"Without bold action, an estimated 28.4 million new global cancer cases would occur in 2040, a 47% rise from 2020.
"The relative magnitude of the projected increase is highest in low Human Development Index (HDI) nations (95 per cent), including Nigeria.
"This projected increase in cancer incidence will be paralleled by increases in mortality rates, unless resources are placed within health services to appropriately treat and manage the growing cancer cases.
"↑GivingTide uses the opportunity of this year's WCD to call on everyone, collectively and individually, to commit to the effort towards closing the cancer care gap by supporting the BIG WAR Against Cancer," she said.
Nzelu, therefore, called for the establishment of a Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CCC) in the country, which she said was the only institution that can optimally tackle all stages and types of cancer.
According to her, CCC is not a hospital with a radiotherapy machine, rather, it is a world-class, stand-alone tertiary health institution, with all its units focused solely on cancer care.
She explained that the CCC houses first-class cancer research, preventive, curative and palliative care in one place resulting in better outcomes across a range of measures – including, most importantly, cancer survival.
"Sadly, whilst India has over 200 CCC – most of which are philanthropy-funded, non-profit / non-governmental institutions, Nigeria has none. Some African nations that have CCC include Egypt, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya and Sudan.
"Instead, Nigerians now spend over one billion dollars on foreign treatment annually, an amount sufficient to establish twenty (20) CCC every year.
"Unfortunately, most Nigerians who go abroad for treatment end up dying because of late diagnosis and delay in intervention.
"Moreover, unforeseen situations (such as the COVID-19 restriction) may make it impossible to go on medical tourism, even if one could afford it," Nzelu said.
Quoting the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nzelu said cancer ranks as a leading cause of death and an important barrier to increasing life expectancy in every nation.
She added that a 2019 study found cancer to be the first or second leading cause of death before the age of 70 years in 112 of 183 countries.
The ↓↑GivingTide is an initiative to promote concerted and catalytic philanthropy.
The current focal cause was the BIG WAR Against Cancer, which is operated by the National Cancer Prevention Programme (NCPP), an initiative of mass medical mission.
