A medical expert has revealed that cancer will be one of the leading killer diseases in Nigeria by 2030 if necessary measures are not taken to address the situation.
Speaking on Plus TV Africa’s news on Sunday, Dr. Tuyi Mebawondu, a public health practitioner said the adoption of western lifestyle may bring an increase in the number of cancer-related cases in the country if not checked.
“Nigeria is undergoing what we call a democratic health transition. As we get older, and embrace the western lifestyle, we are going to see a lot of cancer. The leading ones – Breast cancer, prostate cancer, the cervical cancer and the gastrointestinal cancer, including that of liver and large intestine”
“Nigeria is having a double attack where we are having to cope with communicable diseases on one side and we have to face the chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and hypertension”
“We are having an increase in the number of cancer cases and by 2030, cancer will be one of the leading killer diseases in this nation”
While appraising the health sector, Dr. Tuyi lamented at the poor skill mix of personnel in the sector and was dismayed at Minister of Labour’s comment, Chris Ngige insinuating that Nigeria has enough doctors
“It’s a very disturbing conclusion, it shows the quality of advice available to the president, as he believes them as experts”
“No country in this world can boast of sufficient medical personnel, not even America… Cuba is doing far better”
“I finished medical school about 30 years ago… and we are yet to get to a hundred thousand registered doctors”
“So where is he (Ngige) getting his numbers from. Nigeria does not have sufficient number of doctors”
The public health practitioner applauded the first malaria vaccine in Africa rolled out in Malawai recently.
“Malawi has a working immunization program; Nigeria does not have one”
“Secondly, Nigeria has a good Malaria control program, Nigeria don’t have”
He however, advised the federal government to shift focus from malaria control to elimination.
“Even Sri Lanka has moved away from malaria control to malaria elimination, but in Nigeria, we are still battling with control”
“If we can put our malaria control program in place and also push our immunization program in place, whet the vaccine is going to do for us id=s to help us move nearer to malaria elimination”
“If we get the vaccine, that means we can speed up the process of eliminating malaria from this country”
