"Gov’t Urged to Focus on Cancer Treatment, Not Just Building Hospitals!"
By: MIMIFORGEBLOG
Cancer has become one of Nigeria’s biggest killers, but instead of building more hospitals, Project Pink Blue is calling on the government and private sector to invest in the real solution—advanced treatment and equipment! The advocacy group believes that instead of pouring money into constructing buildings, funds should be used to equip existing cancer centers with the technology, medications, and workforce needed to fight the disease.
“Cancer is now a huge public health problem in Nigeria, with 127,763 new cases and 79,542 deaths recorded in 2022 alone,” the group pointed out during their 10th World Cancer Day event, held at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja. The event featured a walk, race, cycle, ride, skate, and marathon to raise awareness.
“It's Not Just About Buildings”
Runcie Chidebe, Executive Director of Project Pink Blue, delivered a powerful message: “Building more cancer hospitals is great, but it’s not enough. You can build the finest hospitals, but without the right equipment, those buildings won’t save lives. What we really need are PET CT Scans, advanced radiotherapy machines, and precision medicine to target cancerous tumors,” he said.
Chidebe’s call to action was backed by breast cancer survivor and Program Coordinator of Project Pink Blue, Gloria Okwu. “This year’s theme is personal to me. Cancer is more than a diagnosis—it’s a journey of pain, hope, resilience, and survival,” she said. Gloria also emphasized the need for a trained workforce, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, to operate the machines and give patients the best treatment.
Nigeria Leads Africa in Cancer Cases
Nigeria holds the unfortunate title of having the highest cancer burden in sub-Saharan Africa. The fight against cancer is now more urgent than ever. World Cancer Day is a reminder to keep pushing for better treatment and more awareness. Let’s stop building hospitals for the sake of it—let’s build a health system that works.
UNAIDS Calls for Continued HIV Services Amid U.S. Funding Freeze
On another note, UNAIDS is urging the continuation of essential HIV services despite the U.S. pausing foreign aid funding. The United States recently approved an “Emergency Humanitarian Waiver,” ensuring that people living with HIV in 55 countries—including Nigeria—can continue to access life-saving treatments funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
More than 20 million people worldwide rely on PEPFAR for HIV treatment, and UNAIDS is stressing that the fight against HIV must not slow down. "PEPFAR has been a game-changer, providing treatment and preventing new infections," the statement said. "We cannot afford to take a step back now."
The Global HIV Response on the Brink
However, with many organizations relying on PEPFAR funding now facing uncertainty, UNAIDS is keeping a close eye on the situation. Anele Yawa, General Secretary for the Treatment Action Campaign, raised concerns, saying, “The freeze on PEPFAR funding could undo all the progress we’ve made in South Africa and globally. We’re worried about what happens next.”
UNAIDS is urging the U.S. to continue its global leadership and speed up efforts to end AIDS by 2030. The world cannot afford to let this fight slip away.
The group stated this during their 10th World Cancer Day walk, race, cycle, ride, skate and marathon against cancer at Transcorp Hilton Abuja at the weekend.
The Executive Director of Project Pink Blue, Runcie Chidebe, said: “Today, we are calling on the federal and state governments and all other private sectors to invest in advanced cancer technologies, precision medicine, targeted therapy and medical equipment instead of just building hospitals.
“Building beautiful cancer hospitals is good, but buildings alone cannot save cancer patients; buildings alone cannot reduce the burden of cancer in Nigeria nor give cancer patients the best treatment.”
He continued: “It is excellent cancer equipment such as PET CT Scans, brachytherapy, and newer radiotherapy machines that can be used to detect and treat patients excellently. It is the advanced medicines such as precision medicine, including targeted therapy, that can target the cancerous tumour that is most needed in Nigeria.”
A breast cancer survivor and programme coordinator of Project Pink Blue, Gloria, Okwu, said that for the past 10 years, the group has brought together over 20,000 Nigerians to the walk, provided over 5,000 cancer screenings and supported over 500 cancer patients.
“As a cancer survivor myself, this year’s theme resonates with me greatly. It means that cancer is more than just a medical diagnosis; cancer is a deeply personal matter, and behind every diagnosis lies a unique human story; this could be a story of grief, pain, healing, resilience, love and otherwise,” she said.
She said that empowerment of the cancer workforce, such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, pathologists and other professionals who would operate the machine and prescribe the medicines would save cancer patients.
Nigeria has the highest burden of cancer in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. The World Cancer Day is a global event established in the year 2000 by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
Meanwhile, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has called for a continuation of all essential HIV services while the United States pauses its funding for foreign aid.
The UNAIDS had on 29 January welcomed the news that United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, had approved an “Emergency Humanitarian Waiver,” allowing people to continue accessing lifesaving HIV treatment funded by the US in 55 countries worldwide.
More than 20 million people – two-thirds of all people living with HIV accessing HIV treatment globally – are directly supported by the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
The statement at the weekend by UNAIDS, said that while continuity of HIV treatment was essential, services must continue to be monitored, and oversight provided for quality and other critical HIV services for people, especially marginalised people including children, women, and key populations, must continue.
“Last year, PEPFAR provided over 83.8 million people with critical HIV testing services; reached 2.3 million adolescent girls and young women with HIV prevention services; 6.6 million orphans, vulnerable children, and their caregivers received HIV care and support; and 2.5 million people were newly enrolled on pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV infection.
“Since PEPFAR was created, the US has been steadfast in its leadership in the fight against HIV. The US has saved millions of lives through its programmes, particularly in the countries most affected by HIV. PEPFAR has had remarkable results in stopping new infections and expanding access to HIV treatment – and this must continue.
“Globally, there are 1.3 million people that are newly infected with HIV every year, 3,500 every day. Young women and girls in Africa are at alarmingly high risk of HIV, where 3,100 young women and girls aged 15 to 24 years become infected with HIV every week and at least half of all people from key populations are not being reached with prevention services.
“Pregnant women in high HIV prevalent areas must be tested for HIV to determine whether they are living with HIV so they can protect their baby by taking antiretroviral therapy prior to birth. As a result, babies will be born HIV-free,” it said.
The statement lamented that many organisations providing services for people living with HIV that are funded, or partly funded, by PEPFAR have reported they will shut their doors due to the funding pause with lack of clarity and great uncertainty about the future.
It added that UNAIDS was evaluating the impact and will provide routine and real-time updates to share the latest global and country information, data, guidance, and references.
The statement said as the waiver was effective for a review period of all U.S. foreign development assistance, future coverage of HIV services – including for treatment – remains unclear and the lives of the millions of people supported by PEPFAR are in jeopardy and could be at stake.
Anele Yawa, General Secretary for the Treatment Action Campaign expressed worry, noting that: “The PEPFAR-fund freeze will take South Africa and the world back in terms of the gains we have made in our response to HIV.”
He added: “We are asking ourselves how we are going to cope in the next three months as people are going to be left behind in terms of prevention, treatment and care.”
It said that at the moment, the world eagerly await when finally it can get the upper hand on one of the world’s deadliest pandemics, aided by new long-acting HIV prevention and treatment medicines coming to market this year,
UNAIDS urged the US to continue its unparalleled leadership and accelerate and not diminish, efforts to end AIDS.
It further said that UNAIDS looked forward to partnering with the United States, other donors and countries most affected by HIV to ensure a robust and sustainable response to HIV and to achieve the collective goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
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