AS part of efforts to reduce mortality from cancer, Medicaid Cancer Foundation (MCF) has launched a N50 million fund for indigent cancer patients.
The Cancer Fund, to be managed in partnership with Nigeria Cancer Society (NCS), will boost scientific research to advance cancer care.
It will benefit from technical partnerships with Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and London Cancer Network.
MedicAid noted that there are 124,815 new cases in Nigeria every year, with 78,899 likely to die this year, primarily from breast, prostate, and cervical cancers.
In a statement, it said: “Medicaid Cancer Foundation, as part of activities to ‘Close the Cancer Care Gap,’ is committing funds to ease the effect of cancer on patients and their loved ones…
“The fund will support the treatment of indigent patients through partner comprehensive cancer treatment facilities. The fund will also support scientific research, led by Nigerian scientists to advance quality of cancer care management.
“The number of cancer cases and barriers to treatment services gave birth to this partnership. The treatment of cancer, which includes surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, is vital to the curative management of most cancers. However, cancer therapies are grossly inaccessible, limited, or non-existent to most cancer patients due to their high cost.
“MCF and NCS are committed to changing this narrative, prioritising Nigerians with no means of affording the care they need and supporting research to optimise cancer management…”