The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has promised to treat serving and retired personnel, including their spouses for cancer-related diseases after conducting free cancer screening in Abuja.
The Chief of Medical Services NAF, Air Commodore Olabode Babalola disclosed this during the one-day Cancer Awareness Programme and screening in Abuja organised by the Nigerian Air Force Officers’ Wives’ Association (NAFOWA) in commemoration of the Breast Cancer Awareness Day which is marked globally to raise awareness of Breast Cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection and treatment.
He said some of such cases are presented to the hospital late by which time treatment would make very little impact.
According to him, cancer is responsible for 72,000 deaths in Nigeria every year with an estimated 102,000 new cases diagnosed annually.
He stressed the need for the people to give priority to preventive action as early detection is important in the fight against cancer.
“It is in line with this that the free screening services for cancers of the Breast and Cervix would be provided today at the NAFOWA cancer screening centre.”
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He said the gesture underscores the commitment of the NAFOWA leadership towards improving the well-being of the Air Force family at large.
Speaking on the topic “Reducing Cancer Scourge in Nigeria,” the guest lecturer Dr Uchechukwu Nneka Shagaya, Consultant Clinical/Radiation Oncologist National Hospital Abuja said in 2008, cancer was responsible for 13 per cent of 56 million deaths.
This makes the need to screen for early detection or prevention by adopting healthy lifestyles necessary.
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