Medical professionals have lamented the dearth of oncologists in Nigeria, even as studies have shown that an estimated 72,000 cancer deaths occur annually, and 102,000 new cases are diagnosed from its population of over 200 million people.
The experts called on the federal government to stem brain drain in the health sector, as the country has less than 100 oncologists to attend to its populace.
The consultant radiation and clinical oncologist, Mecure Cancer Centre, Dr. Adeoluwa Adeniji, at the Mecure Panel Discussion, to commemorate Breast Cancer Month, over the weekend, in Lagos, averred that cancer cases are soaring, while regretting that less than 100 oncologists are on ground to attend to cancer patients.
“Most of the oncologists are situated in Lagos and Abuja. For instance, there is only one oncologist in Port Harcourt, Nigeria,” Adeniji disclosed.
The oncologist called on the Nigerian government to create an enabling environment for doctors to stay, as they are being tempted with a better living condition abroad.
“It is time for the government to channel more resources to the health sector. Salary must be attractive and the government must ensure that there is equipment for doctors to work with, because the dream of every oncologist is to see that cancer patients survive and lead a normal life,” he added.
As efforts to stem cancer cases in Nigeria, the clinical oncologist, who is also the chief medical director, Mecure Cancer Centre, revealed that Mecure has set up a Cancer Centre, as efforts to improve treatment of the condition in Nigeria and Africa at large. “To that end, the centre has the only Pet CT Scan in West Africa. With the Pet CT Scan, we are able to detect if a tumor is cancerous or not. We can also detect when a patient is completely cured of cancer,” he disclosed.
To ensure early diagnosis of cancer, which is key to survival, the medical director, Pinecrest Specialist Hospital, Dr. Omadeli Boyo, called on Nigerians to focus more on regular checkups.
“Now that we know that there are less than 100 oncologists in Nigeria, the citizens should focus on regular screening and prompt treatment, when diagnosed with cancer. I will also urge the few oncologists in Nigeria to transfer knowledge by training doctors, so as to alleviate the burden of cancer treatment.”