The Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Dr. Lanre
Tejuoso, on Monday said that between 50,000 and
N100,000 Nigerians contact cancer yearly in the
country.
Senator Lanre Tejuoso spoke as stakeholders at a one-day public hearing on a Bill for an Act to Establish National
Centre for Cancer Research and Treatment in Nigeria
expressed concerns over the spread of the disease in
the country.
Tejuoso underscored the World Health Organisation
(WHO) report that cancer is a major cause of global
deaths with seven million being recorded every year
and 72 per cent of such deaths occurring in middle
income countries such as Nigeria.
Tejuoso noted that the rate of deaths caused by cancer in
the world is about13 per cent.
The Ogun Central Senator noted that the Cancer
Research Centre will foster scientific improvement to
cancer prevention, treatment and care and as well co-
ordinate and liaise between the wide range of groups
and health care providers with an interest in cancer.
He listed other objectives of the centre to include
making recommendations to the government about
cancer policy and priorities; overseeing dedicated
budget for research centre; assisting with the
implementation of government policies and
programmes in cancer control and providing financial
assistance out of money appropriated by the National
Assembly for research and treatment.
He noted that one out of every eight women expect to
be diagnosed of breast or cervical cancer in their
lifetime.
According to him, two of every 10 men expect to be
diagnosed for prostate, lungs and colorectal cancer.
He said: “It is also well known that the various forms of
cancer disease have been more felt in Africa and
Nigeria in particular where resources and awareness
are not readily available for prevention, diagnose and
treatment. This bill seeks to provide for establishment
of the National Centre for Cancer Research and
Treatment to research into cancer and to provide
treatment to patients in Nigeria.”
The Ministry of Health represented by a director in the
ministry, Dr. Patience Osinubi, noted that instead of
narrowing the handling of cancer disease to
establishing a research centre, the bill should embrace
a holistic approach to the disease by establishing
National Agency for the Control of Cancer.
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