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A Chief Clinical Coordinator at the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, and Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Cancer Centre, Dr. Habeeb Yakub, has emphasised the need for a multi-faceted approach to address the growing burden of cancer.
The oncologist lamented that the country’s cancer care system is facing challenges, including inadequate funding, lack of access to quality care, and brain drain.
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise on Friday in commemoration of the 2025 World Cancer Day, Yakub stressed the need for robust insurance coverage and awareness creation to tackle the scourge.
According to the World Health Organisation, cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, with approximately 10 million deaths reported in 2020.
In Nigeria, the situation is particularly dire, with over 124,000 new cases of cancer reported annually.
Despite these challenges, Yakub argued that with concerted efforts, Nigeria can improve its cancer care outcomes and reduce the burden of the disease on its citizens.
The physician identified cultural misinformation and financial constraints as major challenges facing cancer care in Nigeria.
He emphasised the need for robust insurance coverage to ensure that patients can access quality care without financial hardship.
He said, “There is a cultural misinformation which is very widespread among our populace. However, there is also a very big financial challenge.
“We need a robust insurance, medical insurance that is robust. If there is a medical insurance that is robust, and people can present without paying out of pocket, many more people will start presenting,” he stated.
The oncologist, who also lectures at the University of Lagos, lamented the high rate of doctors leaving the country, saying, “As we are graduating, more than 50 per cent of them are leaving the country. Japa syndrome is a very big problem.”
He also identified the lack of facilities and equipment as a major challenge.
“Even those equipment that we have are in few centres, because most centres do not have the facility to treat cancer. They don’t have linear accelerators, and they don’t also have brachytherapy machines,” he said.
Speaking further, the oncologist stressed the importance of public-private partnerships in strengthening cancer care delivery, citing the example of the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre.
He revealed that the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre had treated over 12,000 patients since its establishment.
He added that the partnership between NSIA and a global medical technology company, Siemens Healthineers has been instrumental in improving cancer care delivery in LUTH.
Yakub further said the partnership with Siemens Healthineers had enabled the centre to provide quality care to patients.
He explained that the centre was equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including four linear accelerators, which he said was the highest in West Africa.
He attributed the success of the centre to the Public Private Partnership involving NSIA and Siemens Healthineers, stressing that the support had provided the centre with the necessary equipment and training to deliver quality care.
While emphasising the need for government to prioritise PPP in tackling cancer in the country, the oncologist said the centre had provided training for healthcare professionals from across the country via the partnership.
“Today, the NSIA LUTH Cancer Center has a training program called MedSafe. MedSafe has welcomed radiotherapy therapists, medical physicists, clinical oncologists, and oncology nurses from different tertiary institutions.
“The partnership with NSIA and Siemens Healthineers had also enabled the centre to attract Nigerian healthcare professionals in the diaspora to return home and contribute to the development of the healthcare sector,” he said.
The oncologist, however, identified awareness creation and education as key strategies for tackling cancer.
He also called for the establishment of cancer treatment centres in rural areas.
He added, “One important one that is very cheap is to raise awareness and knowledge of cancer.
“We need to not only educate by raising awareness and knowledge of our populace, we need to also have outlets in those villages.”
In a related development, Siemens Healthineers said that it is committed to improving healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
In a statement made available to our correspondent on Friday and signed by the communications lead at Siemens Healthineers, Deepali Vichare Dsouza, said the company partnered with the LUTH-NSIA Cancer Centre to provide quality care to patients.
Dsouza said Siemens Healthineers had provided the centre with state-of-the-art facilities, including four linear accelerators.
She added that the company also provided training to healthcare professionals at the centre to enable them to deliver quality care.
She further said Siemens Healthineers was committed to improving healthcare delivery in Nigeria, adding that it would continue to partner with healthcare providers to achieve its goal.
“We will continue collaborating with NSIA to support Nigeria in building a comprehensive healthcare ecosystem—from diagnostics to therapy and follow-up—while developing the necessary workforce. At Siemens Healthineers, we are on a mission to create a world without the fear of cancer,” Dsouza stated.
