Declare national emergency on cancer, Senate tasks FG

By Sola Ogundipe

The Federal Government has been enjoined to declare a state of emergency on cancer in Nigeria as the disease continues to ravage families, even as rising treatment costs and national insecurity compound the plight of patients.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Primary Health and Communicable Diseases, ​Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, who issued the call during the World Cancer Day Symposium organised by Project Pink Blue in Abuja, said the current trajectory of cancer, particularly breast cancer, requires a radical shift in government intervention.

​​While acknowledging that the Federal government has made attempts to address the crisis, the lawmaker insisted that the current budgetary provisions and logistical frameworks are insufficient to meet the plight of patients.

He, however, emphasised that while the government must lead, the scale of the cancer menace is now beyond the scope of routine healthcare administration.

“We need the government to do more or to lead, but they cannot do it alone. I know the budget of patients is properly taken care of by the government. I really want to call for cancer treatment to be made a national emergency.

“Definitely, it should be a national emergency, and especially in those vulnerable areas, those areas that conflict are preventing patients from going for treatment, for screening and what have you.

“We are having difficulties here. Imagine those who are in those vulnerable areas. How do they go? How do they move? It’s not possible,” Ohuabunwa noted.

​On her part, the Imo State First Lady and Chairperson of the First Ladies Against Cancer (FLAC), Mrs. Chioma Uzodinma, decried the huge funding gap required to provide basic care and support for breast cancer patients.

Uzodinma said since taking the lead of FLAC in 2025, the body has aggressively expand collaborations with the private sector and international partners like the World Health Organisation (WHO) to fill the void left by inadequate public funding.

“Under my leadership, since 2025, we have expanded collaborations to good governments, private sector organisations, and international development partners to boost cancer treatment, research, and advocacy.

“Our initiatives span grassroots education, free cancer screening, patient support programmes and high-level policy advocacy across states, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Institute for Cancer Research and treatment, state Ministries of Health, the World Health Organisation, civil society organisations and other key stakeholders,” she asserted.

​​The symposium, hosted by Project Pink Blue, focused heavily on a growing crisis within the cancer community: the intersection of healthcare and insecurity.

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