Ogun State Government in collaboration with National Institute for Cancer Research to integrate routine cancer screening into family planning services
The Ogun State Government has collaborated with the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), to integrate routine cancer screening into family planning services across public health facilities in the state towards reducing cancer-related mortality among women
Penpushing reports that the Executive Secretary of the Ogun State Primary Healthcare Development Board, Dr Elijah Ogunsola, disclosed the plans on Friday at a stakeholders’ engagement meeting held in Abeokuta.
The Executive Secretary explained that the integration would bridge existing gaps in access to cancer screening services, particularly at the primary healthcare level, adding that the initiative would initially be piloted in selected primary healthcare centres before being scaled up statewide.
Penpushing further reports that Ogunsola said the programme would adopt simple, low-cost screening methods such as visual inspection with acetic acid for cervical cancer, alongside clinical breast examinations, to ensure effectiveness at the grassroots level.
“Many women regularly visit health facilities for family planning services but rarely undergo cancer screening due to lack of awareness, cost and limited availability of such services. This initiative is a strategic move to bring life-saving cancer screening closer to women’, he stated.
“By integrating it into family planning services, we are maximising existing contact points within the health system to promote early detection, which remains the most effective way to reduce cancer deaths’, Ogunsola added.
Penpushing also reports that he stated that the state government was committed to training healthcare workers, equipping health facilities with the necessary screening tools and ensuring a functional referral system for women who require further evaluation and treatment.
The state consultant for National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, (NICRAT), Dr Nathaniel Gbenga, in his presentation pointed out that Ogun was one of six states in Nigeria being supported by the institute to integrate cancer screening into family planning services.
Penpushing reports that he added that the initiative was designed to strengthen existing health services by ensuring that women could access cancer screening during routine family planning visits, especially those who might not otherwise seek or afford screening services.
The consultant explained that National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), would provide technical support, develop screening protocols and support capacity building for health workers involved in the programme.
Penpushing further reports that the state team lead of National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Sanni, said Ogun state had taken important steps towards improving access to cancer screening by integrating it into family planning services.
The team lead noted that the approach was practical, cost-effective and sustainable, adding that with properly trained health workers, effective counselling and functional referral systems, the strategy could help reduce cancer-related illnesses and deaths.
Penpushing also reports that a representative of National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Mrs Olabisi Folorunso-Lanlehin, explained that the institute was established to lead Nigeria’s fight against cancer through high-quality research, evidence-based treatment, prevention and control, aimed at reducing the cancer burden and improving lives through data-driven policies and skilled personnel.
The representative described the collaboration as a critical step towards achieving Nigeria’s national cancer control objectives, stressing that cervical cancer remained one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among Nigerian women, despite being largely preventable through early screening and vaccination.
Penpushing reports that the initiative, which focuses primarily on cervical and breast cancer screening, is aimed at leveraging the wider reach of family planning clinics to ensure early detection, prompt referral and improved treatment outcomes for women of reproductive age.
The National Library of Medicine record showed that, breast and cervical cancers are the leading cancers among women in Nigeria, with high mortality rates largely due to late-stage diagnosis linked to low awareness, poverty, cultural barriers and poor access to screening and treatment.
Penpushing further reports that the breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Nigeria, while cervical cancer ranks second, and in some regions is the most prevalent, however, later presentation remains a major challenge for both, despite evidence that early detection significantly improves survival.
Meanwhile, data from the Global Cancer Observatory indicate that approximately 16,332 women die annually from breast cancer and about 7,093 from cervical cancer in Nigeria.
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