Victoria Mbangwa
In a move to address the growing burden of cancer in Nigeria, the Federal Government is set to unveil three state-of-the-art cancer treatment facilities by May 2025.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, announced this during an interview on Monday, highlighting the administration’s commitment to improving cancer care through unprecedented investments in healthcare infrastructure.
Prof. Pate emphasized that these facilities, equipped with advanced technologies such as linear accelerators, brachytherapy systems, and cutting-edge diagnostic tools, are part of a broader plan to transform cancer treatment in the country.
“For the first time in Nigeria’s history, six major cancer infrastructure, and equipment investments were approved by Mr President (President Bola Tinubu) early last year, of which they are already underway, and three of them will be ready by May 2025, to be inaugurated. Nigeria has never had it.
“For those who are suffering from cancer, that is the high level of care that is needed; it is a tertiary service. We will have the linear accelerators, the brachytherapy, and other diagnostic equipment to allow them to afford good quality cancer care in Nigeria in those six facilities.” Pate stated.
The government’s proactive efforts come at a critical time, as cancer continues to pose a major public health challenge in Nigeria. Data from the Global Cancer Observatory revealed over 127,000 new cancer cases in 2022, with breast, prostate, and cervical cancers accounting for the majority of diagnoses.
Beyond cancer treatment, the Federal Government has also undertaken extensive upgrades across the nation’s healthcare sector. Over the past year, 201 tertiary healthcare facilities have been equipped with advanced diagnostic tools such as MRI and CT scans, as well as anesthesia equipment. Furthermore, 10 cancer diagnostic centers were flagged off, underscoring a comprehensive approach to early detection and treatment.
Expanding tertiary healthcare capacity has also been a focal point. Prof. Pate noted new developments, including the establishment of the Federal Medical Centre in Epe, Lagos, a new facility in Ekiti, and the recently approved Federal Teaching Hospital in Akure. Additionally, the Keffi Specialist Hospital has been upgraded to a teaching hospital, while federal teaching hospitals have been established in Southern Kaduna and Azare.
“We are going to do more in 2025, but the human resources and the training of that also is an important element; that goes beyond the primary health care, and the Federal Government is investing in it.
“We have expanded the federal facilities. In the last one year, the Federal Medical Centre, Epe, in Lagos, (there is a) new one in Ekiti, and the President just approved a new Federal Teaching Hospital in Akure, Federal Medical Centre in Southern Kaduna, in Kafanchan. (There is an) upgrade of hospitals in Nasarawa, the specialist hospital in Keffi is now a teaching hospital, and the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare, has a teaching hospital, which was upgraded by this President.
“So we are expanding the tertiary hospitals’ capacity in Nigeria because, for a very long time, the capacity that we had when we were 150 million people is literally what we still have when we are about 230 million people. So, we’re expanding that, it’s not enough, but we need to do that.” He stated.
