Sani Dutsinma
The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) has commenced cervical cancer screening for 200 women in Kebbi State as part of a pilot programme being implemented in six states across the country.
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The NICRAT Consultant for the Integrated Cervical Cancer Prevention Programme, Dr Ishaq Lawal, disclosed this during the exercise at the Primary Health Centre, Takalau, in Birnin Kebbi.
He explained that the initiative was designed to integrate basic cancer prevention and screening services into family planning clinics to promote early detection and treatment.
Dr Lawal, a gynaecologist at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Birnin Kebbi, said the programme would also provide training for healthcare workers and equip health facilities to strengthen cervical cancer prevention and management.
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He noted that nurses, laboratory scientists and medical records personnel were undergoing training to ensure that women who test positive could access appropriate treatment.
The consultant emphasised that cancer was not necessarily a death sentence when detected early, urging women to take advantage of available screening services rather than avoid them out of fear or suspicion.
In her remarks, the representative of NICRAT’s Director-General, Professor Usman Aliyu, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, said the programme would enable women visiting family planning clinics to access cervical cancer screening alongside other services.
She added that the institute was intensifying public awareness and community mobilisation to encourage more women, particularly those in rural communities, to come forward for screening and treatment.
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The programme forms part of NICRAT’s efforts to reduce the burden of cervical cancer and prevent avoidable deaths among women.
FRCN