CANCER: Death of 72,000 Nigerians annually worrisome — Osinbajo

TRACKING Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has decried Nigeria’s record of 102,000 new cases of cancer annually, with 72,000 deaths from the number.

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According to him, the lack of adequate equipment and facilities for the treatment of the disease in the country is worrisome considering the scarcity of government resources.

Osinbajo spoke at the inauguration of the second Linear Accelerator Radiotherapy machine at National Hospital, Abuja, on Friday.

The machine was donated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo).

The Vice President, who urged Nigerians to adopt healthy lifestyles to reduce the country’s burden of the disease through prevention, noted that early detection of cancer would increase chances for successful treatment.

Osinbajo said the newly inaugurated facilities will not only bridge the gap in cancer detection and treatment but also curb the spate of medical tourism by Nigerians.

He called on other corporate bodies to come to the succour of Nigerians suffering from cancer, saying: “We cannot leave it all to the government. Government resources are scarce. So, we need well-meaning individuals and corporate bodies to see it as part of their responsibility to come to the aid of the government in the health sector.”