The federal government is collaborating with development partners to save 60 million women who are at risk of Cervical Cancer in Nigeria.
The collaborative efforts were announced by Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of the president, during the launch of the initiative under the Renewal Hope Agenda.
The initiative under the Partnership to Eradicate Cervical Cancer in Nigeria, the National Taskforce on Cervical Cancer Elimination (NTF-CCE), was established to accelerate the implementation of WHO’s 90-70 targets.
Prof Isaac Adewole, chairman of the National Task Force on Cervical Cancer Elimination (NTF-CCE) and former minister of health, said PECCIN’s objectives are to drive subnational government-led coordinated expansion of Cervical Cancer elimination activities and foster multisectoral coordination and collaboration.
Prof Adewole added that the collaboration includes stakeholders from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), NHIA, NPHCDA, the Clinton Health Alliance Initiative (CHAI), the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN), and the Gates Foundation.
According to him, 60 million are at risk of Cervical Cancer in Nigeria, and almost 22 women die daily from this preventable and treatable disease in the country.
The NTF-CCE chairman also revealed that in 2020, WHO launched the Cervical Cancer elimination initiative, the first global commitment to eliminating cancer. WHO has set a target date of 2030, which is based on 90-70-90 primary prevention through HPV vaccination and secondary prevention through early screening and access to early Cancer treatment.
He noted that NTF-CCE aims to vaccinate 50 percent of eligible girls and screen 50 percent of women by 2027, strengthening health systems to ensure effective treatment for all detected cases.
The federal government’s commitment to protecting women and girls from the scourge through the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) has vaccinated over 13 million girls against Cancer disease through collaborative efforts of WHO, GAVI and UNICEF.
Senator Remi Tinubu has donated about one billion dollars from the Renewed Hope Agenda to Collaborators to eliminate the disease in the country.
