The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) has trained health workers at the primary and secondary levels of care on cervical cancer screening and referral.
Speaking yesterday during the training at the Federal Medical Centre Abuja, the director general of the agency, Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu, said the training is taking place simultaneously across the six geo-political zones.
He said it is aimed at building the capacity of the country's teaming healthcare providers on the techniques of early detection and referral of cervical cancer cases in their facilities.
He said, " This is with a view to reduce the growing burden of the disease at all levels of care."
The NICRAT DG said the task force on cervical cancer has been set up to work on cancer elimination in the country and headed by a former Minister for Health, Professor Isaac Adewole.
He said as part of efforts towards cervical cancer elimination by the year 2030, the World Health Organisation (WHO) calls for action; stipulates 90% vaccination, 70% screening and 90% treatment for women and girls. He said in line with the first component, the federal government has procured enough human papillomavirus vaccines to protect girls against cervical cancer.
He said, "So the next step of the strategy for cervical cancer elimination is the 70%. which is to ensure that our women are screened. So, part of what Nigeria is doing currently, which is extracted from our five-year strategic plan, is to equip our primary and secondary healthcare workers, because they are like the first line physicians that our patients see. If they miss the diagnosis of cervical cancer at that stage, it will definitely not be detected again until it has reached the advanced stage.
"And once it has reached an advanced stage, it's going to be very difficult, in fact, if not impossible, to cure at that stage. That is why NICRAT embarked on upgrading the knowledge of this first line health workers at the primary and secondary healthcare services to equip them with the necessary training that is required to help detect this disease early."
He added that the theme of the training, "Cervical Cancer Screening and Referral' was carefully chosen considering the growing incidences of cervical cancer in Nigeria and the need for a concerted effort to tackle the menace.
He said in order to achieve the desired result, the institute has deployed experts in oncology and related subspecialties to present papers to the participants.
He said the agency is fully prepared to continue to lead coordinated efforts through awareness creation, training and retraining of healthcare workers, and other preventive and proactive measures to ensure efficient care and treatment of all forms of cancers in Nigeria.
Prof. Ajenifuja Kayode Olusegun, a consultant gynecological oncologist at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Osun State, said globally, every two minutes, a woman dies of cervical cancer.
He said in Nigeria, over 10, 000 women die annually of the highly preventable disease.
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He said cervical cancer has a phase before it becomes cancerous; called pre-invasive phase.
He said, "That phase does not give any symptoms at all. Women come for screening by time they have symptoms and are advanced in their body. So we are training the health workers so that when they go back to the community they can screen women early and prevent deaths from cervical cancer, and also provide effective treatment for those already affected."
Opita Josephine, a participant and nurse-midwife at the Wuse District Hospital, said the training is necessary because many women are dying from the disease, noting that the training will help health workers to detect and prevent deaths from the disease.
