Wife of the Kebbi State Governor and founder of Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Dr Zainab-Shinkafi Bagudu, has called for a national screening programme for prostate cancer.
The first lady made the call at the collaborative launch of prostrate cancer screening and treatment programme tagged “Project Icon”, by Medicaid Cancer Foundation in collaboration with AstraZeneca, in Abuja.
She said the aim of the programme is to raise awareness, encourage early diagnosis and educate men about their health.
Quoting statistics, Bagudu said out of 100,000 men screened of prostate cancer, 38,000 are diagnosed with the disease with about half of them eventually dying of the disease.
She also stated that the project is a start of a wider project, ,’the Cancer Care Africa’, with intention to pilot it with 800 persons in Abuja and 400 persons in Kebbi State, making a total of 1200 persons from both states.
She said the project hopes to reduce the treatment cost for those diagnosed with the disease, through partnership with AstraZeneca.
Speaking on the role of government and policy makers, the first lady said ” We are calling for a national screening programme where once you’re at a certain age, you are called in to screen at the primary health care level for the cancer that are common to your sex, age and region.
“We also want the government to institute better treatment facilities and collaboration with private sector for improved heath financing.
“Health and cancer has to be a priority,” she added.
On his part, the country director, Sub-saharan Africa for AstraZeneca, Mr Arpit Bansal, said a major problem in addressing prostate cancer is late diagnosis.
“If we would want to improve men’s health and prostate cancer, the best step is early diagnosis and detection.
He, however, stated that AstraZeneca’s commitment was not to only offer medications but to also help patients in the early stage.
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