The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) has engaged key stakeholders in Kebbi State on integrating basic cancer prevention and screening services into existing family planning programmes.
The engagement meeting, held on Thursday in Birnin Kebbi, brought together officials from the Ministry of Health, the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, traditional and community leaders, development partners, civil society organizations, and health professionals.
Speaking at the meeting, NICRAT representative Zainab Ahmad said the initiative aims to strengthen access to early cancer detection by leveraging the wide reach of family planning services at the primary healthcare level.
“Cancer remains a growing public health challenge in Nigeria, with many cases detected late due to low awareness and limited access to organized screening services,” Ahmad said. “Integrating cancer screening into family planning services will help bridge existing gaps, promote early detection, and reduce cancer-related morbidity and mortality.”
The initiative is being implemented under NICRAT’s NICE-SCAN Programme, in collaboration with federal and state ministries of health and other partners, to strengthen primary healthcare systems and generate evidence for possible national scale-up.
Dr. Ishak Lawal, NICRAT State Lead for the Pilot Integration of Basic Cancer Preventive Services into Family Planning, stressed the importance of strong stakeholder collaboration for effective implementation and sustainability. A consultant gynaecologist, Lawal noted that NICRAT has concluded plans to pilot the integrated services in the state, describing stakeholder engagement as a critical step in the project rollout.
“The success of this pilot depends largely on the commitment and ownership of state actors and community leaders,” he said.
Earlier, Hauwa Muhammed, the state Family Planning Focal Person, presented the current status of family planning services, highlighting challenges such as poor data documentation, stock-outs of commodities, irregular supply of consumables, and inadequate supportive supervision as obstacles to effective service delivery.
A cross-section of stakeholders expressed commitment to supporting the initiative, commending it as a significant step toward improving preventive healthcare and reducing late presentation of cancer cases in Kebbi State.
