A Consultant Surgeon at Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Dr Aba Katung, has tasked government at all levels to create employment opportunities for cancer survivors to boost their financial status to enhance their treatment.
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Dr Katung said this in commemoration of the National Cancer Survivors Day 2020 in Akure on Sunday.
He said that the financial status of cancer survivors remained one of the major issues being faced and urged government at all levels to assist by giving them means of survival.
Katung, who also double as the President, Coalition Against Cancer in Nigeria, advised women for regular breast examination and early detection as one of the best cure of cancer.
“I want to passionately appeal to our government at all levels to ensure employment opportunities for cancer survivors to enable them continue with their treatment without much stress of seeking for assistance,” she said.
The Chairperson, Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN) Ondo State Chapter, Dr Toyin Ayimoro, said that National Cancer Survivor Day (NCSD) was set aside to celebrate the life of cancer survivors and inspire those recently diagnosed of the disease so as to support them.
Ayimoro, who was represented by his deputy, Dr Johnson Olaniyi, said that BRECAN’s mission as an NGO, was to eliminate breast cancer as a life threatening disease in Nigeria through public education, patient support, advocacy and research.
According to her, celebrating this day makes our people to know that they can still live a fruitful, rewarding and fulfilled life after being diagnosed with cancer, especially BREAST CANCER which is our area of focus.
“BRECAN has succeeded in reducing the ignorance associated with the causes and treatment of breast cancer through aggressive public education and enlightenments.
“The activities of BRECAN has made it a Mecca for individuals suffering from breast cancer to seek financial support for their treatment,” she said.
Ayimoro commended the BRECAN founder, Mrs Betty Akeredolu, who hatched the idea of crowd funding as an instrument to raise fund and support the treatment of women with breast cancer in the state.
She said that many women had benefited from the fund for their treatment after appropriate evaluation by seasoned consultant and general surgeon.
“BRECAN as an organization created a body called Team Survivors Nigeria (TSN) with the aim of bringing together people with breast cancer to socially connect and share ideas and experience that could help others cope with the disease,” Ayimoro noted.
The News Agency Nigeria (NAN) reports that BRECAN is a non-profit NGO with primary focus against breast cancer in Nigeria.
It’s Ondo State Coordinator, Mrs Olufumilayo Oluwagbamila, who spoke to NAN on behalf of the survivors, commended Mrs Akeredolu for giving hope and saving lives of breast cancer patients, saying it is not a death sentence.
Oluwagbamila said that lots of women had benefited from the crowd funding initiated by BRECAN, thus reducing the financial burden and allayed the fear of treatment.