NASS pledges to improve budgetary allocation for cancer care
The National Assembly has pledged an improved budgetary provision for cancer care in Nigeria.
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Chairman, House of Representative Committee on Health Care Services, Amos Magaji, made the commitment at the legislative dialogue on health, which was held in Lagos.
The dialogue with the theme, “Sustainable Cancer Care Financing in Nigeria” was convened by the Senate Committee Chairman on Health of the 9th National Assembly, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe.
A statement issued by the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment said the chairman noted that the cost of cancer care is huge and cannot be borne by any single individual.
“This underscored the necessity for government to take the lead and support institutions like NICRAT to serve the general public and bring cancer care to the grassroots,” he said.
Also, the Chairman, House Committee on NAFDAC, Regina Akume, gave an assurance that she would leverage her contact and experience as the wife of a former governor of Benue State to ensure that the rural people get access to cancer care through NICRAT.
The Director-General of NICRAT, Professor Usman Aliyu, said that the creation of the institute was a game changer in the Nigerian cancer space.
According to him, in spite of all the resources committed by the Federal Government and other partners in the past to cancer care, there is no significant impact to address the menace due to lack of proper coordination.
He noted that the establishment of NICRAT by the Federal Government had changed the narrative as the institute within the short period of its existence had shown that addressing cancer care challenges is not rocket science.
He, solicited the support of the legislators to develop it into a world-class institute capable of addressing all cancer healthcare needs of all Nigerians.
In the statement, it was revealed that the meeting was attended by the chairmen of the five health-related committees of the House of Representatives and the representatives of the Chairmen of the Senate Committees on Health.
