Duke Tasks FG to Strengthen Capacity to Tackle Breast Cancer

Ugo Aliogo

The Chairman, Child Survival and Development Organisation of Nigeria (CSDON), Onari Duke, has called federal government to strengthen capacity in the treatment of breast cancer through the provision of centrifuge machines and other facilities in Hospitals and health facilities across the country.

Duke, who disclosed this weekend in Lagos during a walk to raise awareness for cancer, noted that the event was aimed at uniting various corporate organisations, public and private sector and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) while reinforcing the fact that there is need for all to work towards finding the cure for the disease and them.

She also stated that the event has provided CSDON the opportunity to ascertain the level of support and efforts organisations are putting place in the fight against the disease such as providing care, providing supports for the caregivers of those living with cancer, those conducting counselling programmes for them, and those footing the bill of patients living with cancer.

Duke further explained that this is the ninth year of organising the initiative, stating that they have realised that there were a lot of things they didn’t do at the beginning, but she said with committed effort, “We will be able to learn from each other. Then reinforce and strengthen what each is doing.”

She remarked that huge successes have been recorded in the past nine years, stressing that when they started the initiative the disease was seen as a dreaded disease, but the narrative has changed judging from the views of people who participated in their free mammogram diagnosis test.

“They have realised that early detection increases their chances of survival, therefore it has helped them to embrace the required test, though some still delay in their mastectomy tests,” she noted.

Duke maintained that they have done much awareness especially in the areas treatment and early detection of the diseases which she said has been highly beneficial to women.

“Recently, we lost one of our patients to issue of platelets because she was given chemotherapy and her platelets dropped and in Cross State there was no centrifuge machine. Government should ensure that Hospitals in different states have centrifuge machines. This is because some patients will be in need of it.

“Also, all the required backups needed for patients who need bone marrow transplant in the case collapse of some tissues be provided. It is saddening there is no place where they can carry out a bone marrow transplant in this country, therefore government has a role to play.”