More than 2 million Nigerians have cancer- MLSN

Ebun Francis with agency report

Nigeria has over two million cases of cancer, with one hundred new cases recorded annually according to The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria. The association disclosed on Saturday at the end of its 52nd Scientific Conference and Workshop in Jalingo trough a communique signed by its President, Alhaji Toyosi Raheem.

The MLSN President, blamed the increasing number of tumour and cancer related cases in Nigeria to a shift from the consumption of natural to artificial food and lack of regular physical exercise as well as the indiscriminate, overuse and unregulated use of herbicides and insecticides on the farms as a contributory factor to development of tumours and cancer in humans.

According to Raheem, “We call on the Federal Government to fully equip the cancer centre and programme it has established with adequate human and infrastructural resources.

“This will ensure early screening, confirmation and management of tumours and other health challenges as the rate of late cancer diagnosis and detection is on the increase.

“The development makes treatment and management almost impossible thus making cancer appear invincible.”

Raheem also called on the Minister of Health, Prof. Issac Adewale, to integrate Nigerian Medical Laboratory Scientists into the Rapid Results Initiative and Save 1 Million lives Initiative of the Federal Government.

While commending the federal government for the establishment of The National Cancer Control Programe, the association  appealed to the Federal Government to tackle what it termed, victimisation of certain health professionals by some Chief Medical Directors in hospitals across  the country in order to enhance service delivery.