By Aderogba George
Rep. Tanko Sununu, Chairman, House Committee on Healthcare, has joined Nigerians for a call for research on lasting solution to cancer problems.
The Chairman, on Thursday in Abuja, made the call during a symposium/conference organised by Project Pink Blue (PPB), an NGO, to mark the 2023 World Cancer Day, celebrated annually on Feb. 4.
Sununu revealed that Nigeria had the potential to benefit from a randomised research trial if it was embraced by all, and that this could attract over N200 million to the country’s economy.
He said the country had the expertise, the population and also the peculiar nature, being blacks, to achieve the target of promoting research.
According to him, research is very important, and that it allows the country to review its performance on cancer care, standardise it and profer solution on how to move forward about it.
He said there was a bill on medical research awaiting second reading before the Senate, adding that the it would serve as a gateway and support for the research if finally passed.
The Chairman stressed the need to strengthen research in the country, adding that if medical research was properly embraced, the country could harness more money better than the petroleum sector.
Dr Adamu-Al-Hassan, a co-Chairman for the National Action on Sugar Reduction (NASR), a coalition of Civil Society Organisation, called for more policy action to close the care gap on cancer.
According to Umar, cancer and mortality can be prevented if healthcare is prioritised in Nigeria, in addition to other factors like dieting, low nutritional food which aggravate cancer risk.
“Studies have shown that the consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB), 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 attract several benefits.
“It will discourage the consumption of SSB and lower cancer risk, it will also raise revenue that can be used to close the healthcare gap between Nigerian cancer patients and 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 Programme Co-ordinator, PPB, Gloria Okwu, explained that her organisation had identified lack of research as a gap in the cancer space in Nigeria.
Okwu said that PPB brought stakeholders together to help look at various ways the country could tap into research that would benefit the 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 needed to be answered and that is through research (NAN)