NPI to adopt Gardasil, Cervarix in cervical cancer vaccination

By Chinyere Amalu
TOWARDS institutionalising cervical cancer prevention in the country, the Federal Ministry of Health in partnership with the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation (GAVI) is set to incorporate HPV vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix into the National Programme on Immunisation.

Also in agreement with the 2009 AFROX declaration, the FMOH has adopted the Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA), “see and treat technique” for cervical cancer screening along side pap smear screening.

Health Minister Prof. Babatunde Oshotimehin noted during this year’s  cancer awareness and world hospice and palliative care day, that cancer screening services in 10 Federal teaching hospitals have been increased as a follow up to training of doctors and nurses in breast, prostate and cervical cancer screening using VIA”.

Oshotimehin also pointed out “recently, cancer registry extraction staffs from all the teaching hospitals were trained in Nigerian specific Can Reg 4 software developed in collaboration with the institute of Human Virology Nigeria.”

He said palliative care in the nation’s health facilities are not of international standard, “to address the problem, the ministry is already partnering with the Hospice and Palliative Association of Nigeria (NPCAN).

“To address these problem, we have adopted a National Palliative Care Policy to make Palliative care accessible in all three (3) tiers of health care levels and to offer Palliative care to all in need”, added Oshotimehin.

He urged oncologists and  to all medical associations in the country to participate in the 2009 International Cancer week celebration with the theme “Enthroning Early Detection of Cancer in Nigeria…Africa.”