Hamid Ayodeji
Global pharmaceutical company, Roche has restated its commitment to improve outcomes for everyone affected by cancer in Nigeria.
This is as the company said it has consistently invested resources to ensure that patients with breast cancer, the most frequently occurring and most common cause of cancer death in Nigeria, are properly diagnosed and treated.
In a statement yesterday to commemorate the World Cancer Day, the Country Manager, Roche Nigeria, Ladi Hammed, stated that the international observance of Cancer Day was a clarion call to remember everyone that had lost a friend or relative to cancer as well as those presently battling the disease, even as it also presents an opportunity to renew the collective commitment to fight the scourge as a community and as a nation.
He said: “As a vested stakeholder, Roche Nigeria has consistently invested in research and development, capability and capacity building to ensure that patients with breast cancer, the most frequently occurring and most common cause of cancer death in Nigeria, are properly diagnosed and treated. However, we realize that this is not enough as the numbers of sufferers have not reduced and their pain has not gone away”.
“In Nigeria, we have over 38,000 female deaths and over 30,000 male deaths to different forms of cancer led by breast and cervical for women, prostate and liver for men. Risk factors including smoking, significant alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and obesity are also on the rise. While government prioritization and policy direction have clearly improved in the past year and we applaud this development at all levels, there is still more to be done and it will take the collective effort of all stakeholders.”
“Notably, most patients need support in the form of reimbursement or funding for their care. This cannot be left to the individual families and their savings alone. Roche is a willing partner in this aim and we would welcome the opportunity for engagement on behalf of Nigerian cancer patients. A considerable amount of work has begun and we firmly believe will move the agenda forward for the sake of the everyday person who, when it comes to cancer, is all of us.
“ Accordingly, we commend all stakeholders committed to this cause and welcome all who want to join forces with us to remove the barriers to world-class treatment for Nigerians all over the country,” he added.
