Background:
The National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) was established in 2006 as a fall-out of the 58th World Health Assembly Resolution on cancer prevention and control adopted in May 2005. The programme was established to address the escalating cancer incidence in the country.
Mandate:
The mandate of the National Cancer Control Program is to coordinate activities in five major areas namely:
Public Education on Cancer
Cancer Prevention
Early Diagnosis and Treatment
Effective Therapy
Palliative Care
Some Annual and Ongoing Activities:
- Ministerial Press briefing and other activities to mark the commemoration of World Cancer Day on 4th February annually.
- Implementation of the Cancer Access Partnership (CAP) Programme in fourteen (14) Federal Tertiary Hospitals in the country and availability of 27 anticancer medicines in 48 formulations including targeted and hormonal therapies.
- Commemoration of the International Cancer Week in October annually in Abuja through collaboration with relevant stakeholders in the cancer space.
- Ongoing upgrade of six Oncology Centres of Excellence (UCH Ibadan, UNTH Enugu, ABUTH Zaria, UDUTH Sokoto, UBTH Benin and National Hospital Abuja) across the country with brachytherapy machines and other equipment. Presently, UCH Ibadan, UBTH Benin, UNTH Enugu and ABUTH Zaria are fully operational.
- Ongoing UNITaid funded three (3) years Cervical Cancer Screening Programme for over forty thousand (40,000) women in five States (Kaduna, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kebbi, Niger) of the federation.
- Implementation of Cancer Health Fund (CHF) in six Federal Teaching Hospitals (National Hospital Abuja, Ahmadu Bello University Hospital Zaria, Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, University College Hospital Ibadan, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu and University of Benin Teaching Hospital) in the first phase for the treatment of indigent cancer patients of breast, cervix and prostate.
Dr. Okpikpi O.
NC-NCCP
