The National Cancer Prevention Programme (NCPP), a Non Governmental Initiative of mass medical mission, is currently scaling up its impact by establishing a structured and organised, mobile system of preventive cancer care and health promotion, through the use of Mobile Cancer Centres (MCC).
According to a statement issued in Lagos by Dr. Abia Nzelu of Journalists Against Cancer in Nigeria, the MCC will not only tackle the common cancers but will also target several common diseases that are risk factors for cancer, including Diabetes, Renal Disease, Obesity, Malaria, Schistosomiasis, Helicobacter pylori, Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, Human papillomavirus and Hypertension. “Cancer and these ten related diseases kill more people in Nigeria than all other causes of death combined,” Dr. Nzelu said.
He explained that the pilot phase of this campaign will commence in the second half of this year in four of the old regions of Nigeria, namely: East (Port Harcourt), Mid-West (Asaba), North (Abuja) and West (Lagos).
Dr. Nzelu said: “The first set of Mobile Cancer Centres for this phase has been ordered from the United States of America and is being expected whilst the base centres from which the MCCs will operate has been established. When the pilot phase commences, each of the states would be divided into smaller units such that every community in the state would be reached by the Mobile Cancer Centre at least once a year. The schedule for the community outreach would be communicated to the general public in due course.
“This significant and monumental achievement in the Big War Against Cancer in Nigeria was made possible due to the united and concerted actions of public-spirited Nigerians, especially the several ‘Centurions’ (National Philanthropists), Mr. Jim Okechukwu Ovia (Nigeria’s only Titanic Centurion), Chief Modupe and Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, Dame Winifred Nwaukpo Akpani, Mr. Tonye Patrick Cole, Sir Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu, and others, under the auspices of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP-Nigeria). Several political leaders also rallied round this cause, including, His Excellency, Prof Yemi Osibanjo, SAN, GCON, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and His Excellency, Mr. Akinwunmi Dapo Ambode, FCA, the Governor of Lagos State.”