The National Assembly has urged the Federal Government to take the lead in cancer care in the country.
Chairmen of Health Committees of the 10th National Assembly made the call at the legislative dialogue on health which held in Lagos.
The dialogue, with the theme: ‘Sustainable Cancer Care Financing in Nigeria’ was convened by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health in the 9th National Assembly, Sen. Ibrahim Oloriegbe.
A statement issued by the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) on Saturday said that Amos Magaji, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Health Care Services, spoke on behalf of other chairmen.
He noted that the cost of cancer care is huge and could not be borne by any single individual.
“This underscored the necessity for government to take the lead and support institutions like NICRAT to serve the general public and bring cancer care to the grassroots,” he said.
Also, the Chairman, House Committee on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Regina Akume, assured that she would leverage on her contacts and experience as Wife of a former governor of Benue State to ensure that the rural people get access to cancer care through NICRAT.
The Director-General of NICRAT, Prof. Usman Aliyu, said that the creation of the institute was a game changer in the Nigerian cancer space.
According to Aliyu, in spite of all the resources committed by the Federal Government and other partners in the past for cancer care, there is no significant impact to address the menace due to lack of proper coordination.
He noted that the establishment of NICRAT by the Federal Government had changed the narrative as the institute within the short period of its existence had shown that addressing cancer care challenges is not rocket science.
He, however, solicited the support of the legislators to develop it into a world-class institute capable of addressing all cancer health care needs of all Nigerians.
The statement added that the meeting was attended by the chairmen of the five health-related committees of the House of Representatives and the representatives of the Chairmen of the Senate Committees on Health. (NAN)
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