Health Minister Predicts Cancer Breakthrough With Technological Advancement

The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, has expressed optimism that technological advancements will render cancer a manageable condition within the next 40 years.

Pate made this statement on Wednesday during the 2nd Oncologist Summit, organised by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority(NSIA).

He noted that the summit, themed “Enhancing the Oncology Workforce in Nigeria,” aligns with the President Bola Tinubu Administration’s objectives, adding that the Federal Government is implementing measures to ensure that more health workers are trained to meet the country’s growing population.

“We are establishing the necessary infrastructure and equipment, which are essential for training. This summit is in line with our efforts to train more healthcare professionals.

“Recently, we launched the Health Workforce Migration Policy, which includes policy measures to reduce the outflow and expand the training of healthcare professionals in Nigeria.

“We have doubled the quotas for training health professionals in Medicine, Pharmacy, and Nursing, but it will take time before the impact is felt. The current administration is addressing the issues that should have been tackled over the past several years.

“We are playing catch-up, given the loss of many experts. However, we must ensure that the emerging young professionals receive training to serve in specialized areas like cancer care,” he said.

Pate commended the NSIA for organising the summit and expressed hope that collective efforts will help address the cancer challenge, ensuring that Nigerians, particularly the vulnerable, have a fairer chance to combat the disease.

Also speaking, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Economy, Wale Edun, stated that global collaboration and technological advancements have improved the prospects for those with cancer, making it a “fairer fight.”

He also emphasised that Nigeria, as the most populous country in Africa, has a critical responsibility to take a leading role and play a pivotal part in the global effort to combat and ultimately defeat cancer.

Also speaking in his keynote address, Medical Oncologist and Vice President, Global Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Bob Li, revealed that global oncology research and development investment has continued to increase, with $80bn invested annually.

Li noted that Nigeria records 128,000 new cancer diagnoses and 80,000 cancer-related deaths annually.

He expressed hope that global research efforts will lead to saving more cancer patients.

Health Minister Predicts Cancer Breakthrough With Technological Advancement is first published on The Whistler Newspaper