Wife of Abia State governor, Pricillia Otti has renewed the hope of survival of three underprivileged female cancer patients in the state with N10million for their treatment.
Mrs Otti stated this in her keynote address at the state’s 2024 Cancer Awareness Day in Umuahia, the capital, noting the financial burden the patents and their families bear.
Furthermore, she promised that her office would give free mammogram screening and Pap smear screenings to 50 women selected randomly at the event.
“More than ever, it has become essential that we work together, hands on deck, boots on ground to create a healthier, cancer-free future for our communities,” she said.
She stressed that early detection and prevention remain “critical to reversing this unfortunate trend”, and the need for robust action by every individual, family, and community to put cancer on check.
In an address, the state commissioner for Health, Enoch Uche pointed out that one in five people would likely develop cancer in their life time.
He said one in eight men and one in 11 women may have the disease, which he noted as “ageless disease of humanity” that had continued to wreck havoc across the world.
“Records indicate that it will rise by over 85 percent in the next 15 years hence the need to reverse the trend through increased awareness, and enhanced cost-effective treatment,” he said.
In an address earlier, the director of Public Health, Princess Agomuo, said the event demonstrated the state’s drive to face one of the health challenges of the time.
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