WORLD CANCER DAY 2022: NGO Launches Global Trust To Fight Cancer In Nigeria

A non-profit initiative, Giving Tide International,  is set to launch a global trust to build Nigeria’s first Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CCC).

The project,  according the executive secretary of the organisation, Abia Nzelu, is in commemoration of the World Cancer Day (WCD), marked every Feb. 4, with a current focal cause on the “BIG WAR Against Cancer”

With the theme “Close the care gap”, the 2022 WCD campaign is centered on raising awareness about the lack of equity in cancer care.

A Report by the organization has shown that Nigeria currently has an estimated 233,911 cancer cases and registers 124,815 new cases yearly.

The figures also include a daily death toll of 32 women from breast cancer,  28 women from cervical cancer and 16 men from prostate cancer due to late detection and poor facilities.

Nzelu however  hinted that Giving Tide International chose to focus on the big war against cancer due to its prevalence and the mortality rate of the scourge in the country as well as the economic cost of the disease.

“Most Nigerians who go abroad for treatment end up dying because of late diagnosis and delay in intervention. Moreover, unforeseen situations (such as the COVID-19 restriction) may make it impossible to go on medical tourism, even if one could afford it,” the report stated.

The organization said the  global trust is managed by FBNQuest Trustees, a subsidiary of FBN holdings.

Nzelu added that a Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CCC) will not only make for early detection and effective treatment of cancer cases but also help in preventing WHO’s projection of an estimated 28.4 million new cases over the next two decades.

Giving Tide International was founded to champion the practice of Combined, Concerted and Catalytic philanthropy and social investment on a global scale.

The organization however called on Nigerians to commit to the effort towards closing the cancer care gap by supporting the BIG WAR Against Cancer.

“If one in seven Nigerians donated only N1,000 to the trust, Nigeria’s First CCC would be ready within seven months. There is no reason for the holocaust of preventable deaths from cancer. Together, it is possible”