The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services, Dr Tanko Sununu, has revealed that there is a randomized control trial cancer research that can attract over N200 million to the country’s economy.
Sununu during an interview at the World Cancer Day symposium/ conference organized by Project Pink Blue (PPB) in Abuja, said the country has the expertise, the population and also the peculiar nature of being blacks to achieve this.
He said the research is very important so as to allow them review their performance, standardize it and how they can move forward.
He also noted that there is a Medical Research council bill for second hearing before the senate as a gateway for research.
In his words: “There is need to strengthen our research in the country . In medical research, there is a lot of money that we can harness more than petroleum”.
Also, the President of the National Action on Sugar Reduction (NASR) coalition, Dr Adamu Al-Hassan Umar, called for more policy action to close the care gap.
He said: “Cancer incidence and mortality can be prevented if healthcare is prioritised in Nigeria. In addition to other factors, diets low in nutrition aggravate cancer risk.
“Studies have shown that the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, including carbonated drinks and sugary juices, can increase obesity and raise the risk for 13 different cancers.
“To tackle this risk from this source, the NASR advocates for an increase in Nigeria’s SSB tax to 20% of the final retail price. This tax policy will have several benefits: it will discourage the consumption of sugary beverages and lower cancer risk, and it will raise revenue that can be used to close the health care gap between Nigerian cancer patients and cancer patients in other climes.
“We urge the government and citizens to take action towards the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer.
“The government must take crucial policy steps to ensure healthcare equity. With greater awareness and policy action, Nigeria will close the cancer care gap,” he said.
Also, the Program Coordinator Project Pink Blue (PPB), Gloria Okwu, explained that they have identified lack of research as a gap in the cancer space in Nigeria and “that is why we have brought together stakeholders to look at ways to go out in all kinds of research that we need in this country.
“We want Nigerians to do research for Nigerians. We want them to begin to look at our different peculiarities. There are many questions that needs to be answered and that is through research and question what is happening that can help us get answers to advance treatment and management to cancer in Nigeria,” she said .
