A Children’s Research Hospital in the United States, St. Jude Global says it is set to partner with the Federal Government to address pediatric cancer in the country.
The organization’s Director for Sub-Saharan African Regional Programme, Dr Nickhill Bhakta,
said this on Tuesday in Abuja at a national stakeholders workshop on childhood cancer.
Bhakta said that the changes in child healthcare were enormous, as children now die from diseases such as cancer.
He added that “government is thinking about this and already moving in that direction. So, it is with great pleasure that we can give technical support to make sure that we make that transition faster and more effective.
“St. Jude has a commitment; we have invested 200 million dollars toward a Global Fund for childhood cancer drugs, together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“We will like Nigeria to partner with us to take advantage of that global fund over the next five years.
“So, this effort that we have started here is the beginning of that dialogue, so that in the coming years, you will see those results and working with governments to bring opportunities to Nigeria.”
According to him, one of the key areas to address the issue is education, with capacity building of the next generation of pediatric cancer doctors as an important factor.
“That is something that we have done at St. Jude, all throughout the world, and that’s something we want to bring here, with support from Nigerian colleagues.
“We work in 84 countries around the world and we know what best practices have worked in Africa and other regions.”
The Director-General, National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Prof. Usman Aliyu said “Childhood cancer is an issue that requires urgent attention and collective action.
“To this end, this workshop represents an opportunity to prioritize and strategize around specific needs of childhood cancer care in Nigeria.
“Through open dialogue, collaboration, and innovation, we aim to develop a roadmap that will guide our efforts toward improving diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care for children affected by cancer.
“This gathering represents a significant milestone in our collective efforts to address the critical issue of childhood cancer in our country.
“Furthermore, I wish to express the readiness of our institute to expand the scope of partnership with St. Jude Global in the areas of research, treatment, and capacity building to mitigate the scourge.”
Aliyu added that the government’s commitment to enhancing the country’s healthcare landscape under the leadership of President Bola
Tinubu was a testament to its dedication to unlocking the healthcare value chain.
The First Lady of Kebbi State and Co-Founder, of Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Dr. Zainab Bagudu said that pediatric oncology and childhood cancer outcomes are one of the greatest disparities between high and low-middle-income countries.
She said that the ultimate path that should be committed to was that of increasing access to oncology medicines and improving the outcomes for childhood cancers in Nigeria.
She added that while high-income countries have cure rates of between 80 to 90 percent, those in low-middle-income countries are still struggling with 20 percent.
Bagudu said that the greatest burden with low-middle-income countries like Nigeria when it comes to cancer control is awareness.
She explained that “awareness is really poor and people in rural areas do not know what to do when they have cancer.
“There is also the problem of how to diagnose cancer and how to navigate the cancer pathway.
“So, if we involve civil society in the cancer control more, we can overcome.”
She added that the low-hanging fruit in cancer care which is early detection is not as expensive as buying expensive mesh, radiotherapy machines, and chemotherapy drugs.
“Early detection is key and it saves lives. So, with awareness, we can get a hold of that low-hanging fruit and save lives easily by collaborating with civil society, scientists, government, and the financial sector.”
In September 2018, WHO established the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer intending to reach at least a 60 percent survival rate for children with the disease by 2030.
By Folasade Akpan
