The National Orthopedic Association has called for more advocacy and awareness campaigns to curb the menace of musculoskeletal tumors in Nigeria.
The association made the call at its 46th scientific conference and annual general meeting in Abuja with the theme: “Musculoskeletal Tumors.”
In his opening remarks, the president of the association, Muhammad Salihu, said musculoskeletal tumors are very common, even though there is not much awareness about what it is and its management.
“When you talk about tumors, people think about breast cancer and cervical cancer. But bone tumors are also very common. It is because we are not making a lot of noise about it, quite a number of Nigerians are dying from musculoskeletal tumors,” he said.
Salihu urged the government to add musculoskeletal tumor as one of the tumors that require government intervention as breast cancer and cervical cancer.
“We hope that the government will come to our aid for us to be able to reduce the menace of this bone tumor,” Salihu said.
He mentioned late presentation and high cost of treatment as some of the challenges facing diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal tumors in the country.
Salihu said “Even while you get them early, when you roll out the bill, quite a number of these patients cannot afford it.”
He, however, called on the government and other stakeholders to subsidise the management of musculoskeletal tumors, especially through partnership and integration with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
“We call on NHIA to partner with us to get most of the materials and implants in bulk and at the end of which the prices will go down,” he said.
Salihu lamented the effect of brain drain on the health sector, saying “We have about 500 orthopedic doctors in Nigeria, and out of them, only about half is left to practice in Nigeria.”
“We call on all the people concerned to do something about it because more and more of our people are leaving the country for greener pastures,” he added.
On her part, the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, said patients with musculoskeletal tumors are often presented to hospitals late and usually with advanced disease which results in undesired outcomes; disabilities and deaths.
She said it has direct and indirect impact in the country’s national demography and economy as it affects the young population between the ages of 11-40 years, which constitute the greater proportion of Nigerian population.
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