From Bayo Samaila, Birnin kebbi
The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) has engaged key stakeholders in Kebbi on the integration of basic cancer prevention and screening services into existing family planning programmes in the state.
The engagement meeting, held on Thursday in Birnin Kebbi, brought together representatives of the Ministry of Health, the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, traditional and community leaders, development partners, civil society organisations and health professionals.
Speaking at the meeting, a representative of NICRAT, Hajiya Zainab Ahmad, said the initiative was aimed at strengthening access to early cancer detection by leveraging the wide reach of family planning services at the primary health care level.
Ahmad noted that cancer remained a growing public health challenge in Nigeria, with many cases presenting late due to low awareness and limited access to organised screening services.
She explained that family planning services provided a strategic platform for delivering cancer prevention, screening and referral services, particularly for women.
“The integration of cancer screening into family planning services will help bridge existing gaps, promote early detection and reduce cancer-related morbidity and mortality,” she said.
Ahmad added that the initiative was being implemented under NICRAT’s NICE-SCAN Programme, in collaboration with the Federal and State Ministries of Health and other partners, to strengthen primary healthcare systems and generate evidence for national scale-up.
Also speaking, Dr. Ishak Lawal, NICRAT Lead for the state, Pilot Integration of Basic Cancer Preventive Services into Family Planning, said the institute was seeking strong collaboration with stakeholders to ensure effective implementation and sustainability of the programme.
Lawal, a consultant gynaecologist, disclosed that NICRAT had concluded plans to pilot the integrated cancer prevention and family planning services in the state, describing the stakeholders’ engagement as a critical step in the project’s rollout.
“The success of this pilot depends largely on the commitment and ownership of state actors and community leaders,” he said.
Earlier, the state Family Planning Focal Person, Hajiya Hauwa Muhammed, while presenting the current status of family planning services in the state, identified data quality challenges arising from poor documentation as a major concern.
She also listed stock-outs of family planning commodities, irregular supply of consumables and inadequate supportive supervision as some of the challenges affecting effective service delivery in the state.
The State government and it's healthcare agencies, religious and community representatives at the engagement declared their support and commitment to the initiative. They said it was a significant step towards improving and reducing the prevalence of cancer cases in the society.
