Lagos, UNFPA partners on cancer control
The eight days training program which ended yesterday was
sponsored by the Lagos State Government in collaboration with the United
Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, to increase access to cancer screening services
in all State health facilities.
Speaking at the close of the capacity building workshop, the
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye noted that
partnership between the State Government and UNFPA on cancer control program is
geared towards making cancer screening services more accessible and readily
available in public health facilities in Lagos.
Ogboye who was represented by the Director Disease Control
in the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Rotimi Agbolagorite explained that
the capacity building workshop is part of a larger partnership support
arrangement leveraging available resources to improve access to cancer
screening services.
In his words: “The Ministry’s efforts to make cancer
screening services more accessible and readily available in all State health
facilities, has been further strengthened with the recent support from one of
our development partners, UNFPA.
“Apart from the capacity building workshop for the 200 state
health workers, the Ministry is being supported by UNFPA with the donation of
15,000 units of disposable speculums, 180 pieces couch rolls and 260 pieces of
K-Y jelly which are requisite consumable for the provision of effective breast
and cervical cancer screening and management services.”
He added that UNFPA is also supporting the State Government
to improve community sensitization and public enlightenment on the availability
of free breast and cervical cancer screening services in 60 designated public
health facilities across the State.
The Permanent Secretary disclosed that the State government
has so far screened a total of 53,762 women since inception of the free breast
and cervical cancer screening in the 60 designated health facilities
“A total of 53,762 women have been screened since inception,
out of which a total of 2,635 representing 4.9% of women screened were screened
positive for cervical precancerous lesions and 2,348 (89%) of these positively
screened women were treated with thermal ablation and saved from possibly
developing cervical cancer in the future. Furthermore, a total of 99 women
representing 0.2 % of the total women screened were referred with suspicious
lesions and possible early stages of cancer, for prompt diagnosis and early
treatment which would result in an improved management outcome”, he said.
Earlier, the Head of Office, Lagos Liason Office, UNFPA, Dr.
Omolaso Omosehin who was represented by Maternal and Family Planning Analyst,
UNFPA, Dr. Akinkunmi Akinbajo commended Lagos State for improving access to
cervical and breast cancer screening services noting that the State has
continued to blaze the trail in providing access to maternal and child health
services.
He said: “At the UNFPA, we are very glad to support the
Lagos State Government in this training of 200 health workers across 60 health
facilities, and we are glad to improve access to cancer screening generally. As
we all know the leading causes of cancer mortality in women are the breast and
cervix, and if we can tackle this, then we are sure that our women will live
longer and be able to protect and provide for their families.
“By so doing, we will
also have affected a lot of other targets of the SDGs. This particular training
is linked to SDG 3.7; ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive
health, and again it is contributing goal 3.4 which is preventing and ending
all forms of mortality from non-communicable diseases. So we are glad to be
supporting Lagos.”
Omosehin pledged the support of UNFPA to deepen partnership
with Lagos beyond the present 60 free cancer screening sites adding that the
UNFPA will do more to improve access to breast and cervical cancer screening
services.
He also restated the
commitment of UNFPA to achieving three zeros by 2030, explaining that the aim
is to achieve zero preventable maternal deaths which is why the UNFPA is
supporting the cancer control programme.
“The second zero is to end all unmet needs of family
planning and the third zero is to eradicate all forms of gender based violence
against women which include female genital mutilation, early child marriage and
harmful traditional practices,” he noted.
In her remarks, the Lagos State Focal person, Cancer Control
Program, Dr. Abosede Wellington explained that the best way to prevent breast
and cervical cancer is through early and regular screening noting that early
detection of breast and cervical cancer will lead to a better management which
will go a long way in saving lives.
She urged women to visit any of the 60 cancer screening
sites located across the State to avail themselves of the opportunity of the
free breast and cervical cancer screening exercise being provided by the state
government.
“Breast and cervical cancers are cancers that are very
common in our environment and the best way we can catch them early and save the
lives of our mothers, sisters and daughters who die from cancer is through
screening and early detection. The best way to prevent cancer is through early
and regular screening. In Lagos state we provide free breast and cervical
screening services and these services are available in 60 health facilities
across the 20 LGA in the state,” she said.
A participant, Evelyn Olufunke applauded the state government
for the organizing the highly impactful capacity building workshop noting her
resolve to enlighten clients on the need to submit for breast and cervical
screening has been boosted with the training programme.
“The responsibility falls on us health workers to go back to
the community to educate and mobilize citizens to go for screening.
She explained further that the training has also improved her knowledge of breast and cervical cancer screening adding that the take home from the training is a commitment to cascade the knowledge shared at the workshop to other health workers.
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