By Doris Obinna
Lagos State Government has made known its plans to screen 100,000 women free for breast and cervical cancer annually.
The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye disclosed this on Friday at Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area Secretariat, venue of a community outreach campaign programme held to commemorate the WCD in the state.
Ogboye stated that free screenings for breast and cervical cancer have since commenced in 62 state health facilities including designated general hospitals offering gynaecological and obstetric care services and the flagship primary healthcare centres across the state.
As he noted, this year’s WCD theme, “Close The Care Gap,” provided yet another opportunity to improve awareness on cancer and to encourage its prevention through early screening and detection, diagnosis and prompt treatment of the various types of cancers.
He said: “Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Globally, nearly one in six deaths is due to cancer and 70 per cent of these deaths occur in low-and middle-income countries such as Nigeria.”
While reiterating the need for periodic screening and lifestyle modification as preventive measures against the non-communicable disease, Ogboye stated that the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that as many as 40 per cent of deaths from cancer are preventable.