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From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The National Institute For Cancer Research and Treatment (NICART) and the Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), yesterday, trained healthcare workers on techniques of relating devastating news to patients, especially cancer patients or their relatives without causing more harm to them.
Speaking at the training programme at the UBTH, Benin, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said NICART has initiated various strategies aimed at reducing the burdens of all forms of cancers in Nigeria.
He said one of such strategies was to organise training and retraining for healthcare workers on various aspects of cancer care, prevention, treatment and control.
Prof Pate, represented by Dr Vivian Nwordu, a Radiologist, said that the Psycho-oncology training workshop on “Handling Bad News” in the health sector among the healthcare givers was very timely as it would enable them know how to handle such a situation whenever it arose.
“The theme of this training, ‘Psycho-oncology,’ is not only apt, but timely considering the level of trauma suffered by cancer patients in many health facilities in Nigeria.
“This training, therefore, is aimed at equipping health workers with the needed knowledge to provide solutions to such incidents.
“Today’s event is a testament of our resolve at the institute to empower health workers at all levels of care with requisite techniques to provide psychosocial support to cancer patients as a palliative in the management of the disease.
“Let me also reiterates NICART’s commitments to fighting all forms of cancers through massive awareness creations on preventive strategies, training of health workers and providing the needed cares to those who are already affected,” Prof. Pate added.
Pate reiterated that they at NICART believe strongly that training and retraining of health workers remains a good investment in healthcare service delivery at all levels.
He maintained that this they considered as their values and they would continue to replicate it at every given opportunity, stressing that they were optimistic that the experts of different field of cancers that were present to speak on various aspects of cancers, would do the needful and instil in them the needed knowledge to enable them to function optimally.
Speaking also on the topic, “Psychological impact of bad news on patients,” Dr Eriba Lucy, an Oncologist – Radiation specialist at UBTH, said bad news is what nobody wants to hear because it has a negative impact on the patient if not well passed.
She said with the training, they were able to let them know how they could actually pass the news to patients and their relations without having any adverse effects on them and making everyone at the end of the day grateful that they have actually received the news and that they will follow their treatments.
Dr. Eriba said with adequate communication techniques, it will help patients to be able to cope with their treatments because when they know that this is how it is going to be, they will follow their treatments as it is supposed to be.
She decried the alarming rate at which the scourge of cancer is going globally, and called for adequate awareness campaigns to stem its tide, noting that early detection was a panacea to it.
