Make breast cancer treatment free, medical women association urge govts.

The Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Kwara Chapter, on Friday, appealed to all tiers of governments, to make Breast cancer treatment free for Nigerian women.

Dr. Bilqis Alatishe-Muhammad, the Association President, made the call in a press statement issued to commemorate the World Cancer Day in Ilorin.

Our correspondent reports that the World Cancer Day is marked every Feb. 4th, to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection and treatment, with the primary goal of significantly reducing the illness and death caused by the disease.

Alatishe-Muhammad stated that the theme of the 2022 World Cancer Day was:” Closing the Care Gap”, adding that the association joins the rest of the world in marking the day, in order to create awareness on the scourge of cancer.

According to her, the Day aims to prevent millions of deaths each year by raising awareness and education about cancer and pressing governments and individuals, across the world, to take action against the disease.

The expert stated that about 10 million people died each year from cancer and this had been projected to rise to 13 million by 2030.

“Women are mostly affected and there is need for the world to work assiduously to ensure cancer occurrence is markedly reduced”

“The government should ensure accessibility to cancer treatment by making cancer treatment free and also preventing financial catastrophe, by incorporating cancer management and treatment into the national health insurance scheme.”

“Closing the care gap will ensure about one third of the cases were prevented and one third cured if detected early,” she said.

Alatishe-Muhammad advised that prevention, early detection and treatment can save millions of lives.

Our correspondent reports that a ‘Cancer Awareness walk’ was organised as one of the side line activities of the World Cancer Day, to sensitize the public on the need to get screened for the disease.