Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, says the Federal Government is advancing medical industrialisation at an unprecedented pace through the commissioning of new cancer centres across the country.
The Minister, who made this known during the inauguration of newly constructed Clinical Oncology Centres at the Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, and University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo, explained that the initiative was part of President Tinubu’s efforts to reposition Nigeria as a hub for medical production.
“What President Tinubu is doing is not just about improving Medicare in Nigeria, but most importantly about positioning the country for medical industrialisation,” Idris stated.
“This is not just bringing in drugs or equipment but creating the enabling environment for these drugs and equipment to be produced here in Nigeria.”
He described the three oncology centres as world-class facilities aimed at reducing medical tourism and making cancer treatment accessible and affordable for Nigerians.
“Today, if you go outside for cancer treatment, it’s because that’s your choice and not because there is not an option provided by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he added.
Idris commended the Minister of Health and Social Development, Professor Ali Pate, and the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, for their roles in the delivery of the six new cancer centres.
While commissioning the Enugu facility, Idris said it was one of the most significant dividends of democracy in the state, noting that the installed equipment ranks among the best globally.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has delivered to you the people of Enugu and to the people of Nigeria what has been a dream for more than thirty years,” he said.
He added that Nigerians were beginning to witness tangible benefits of the administration’s reform agenda, which initially posed challenges but is now yielding improved outcomes.
Also speaking, the Minister of Health, Professor Ali Pate, said cancer remains a significant burden in Nigeria, with 127,000 cases and 80,000 deaths recorded annually.
He said President Tinubu had doubled Nigeria’s cancer treatment capacity overnight by establishing six new centres and expanding diagnostic screening to 350,000 cases annually.
“To take care of someone who has cancer costs families their investment, savings and can tip households into poverty in addition to the huge impact that can reverberate in terms of trauma to families and societies,” Prof. Pate said.
He also noted the government’s plan to support families through the 2025 Catastrophic Health Insurance Fund.
On his part, the Finance Minister, Wale Edun, said Tinubu’s determination had moved healthcare projects from planning to execution.
“It is across the board that the type of transformation that we are seeing and we are witnessing in the health sector ably led by the Honorable Minister of Health,” he said.
Edun added that the upgraded Enugu centre, although not newly built, had been raised to global standards to offer world-class cancer care.
At the Benin facility, Idris reiterated President Tinubu’s commitment to delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda and praised the partnerships between federal and sub-national governments, as well as private investors, in realising the cancer centres.
PIAK