Former Health Minister Adewole to head cervical cancer elimination campaign committee in Nigeria

The federal government has established a committee to spearhead its cervical cancer elimination campaign, aiming to screen 50 percent of eligible women at least once in their lifetime and to treat 100 percent of detected precancerous lesions by 2027. 

To drive this initiative, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa, has formed a 15-member National Task Force Committee for Cervical Cancer Elimination (NTF-CCE). 

The committee will be chaired by former Health Minister Prof. Isaac Adewole, with Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu serving as Vice Chairman and Prof. Sani Malami as Secretary. The committee’s members include Usman Waziri Mohammed, Yinka Olaniyan, Prof. Okechukwu Ikpeze, Modupe Elebute-Odunsi, Lolade Adeyemi, Prof. Mukhtar Gadanya, Prof. Imran-Morhasson-Bello, Rakiya Saidu, Nwamaka Lasebikan, Prof. Ima-Obong Ekanem, Chief (Mrs) Moji Makanjuola, and Garba Bakunawa.

Minister Alausa stated that the Task Force is responsible for providing expert guidance, mobilizing resources, and leading a nationwide effort to significantly reduce the impact of cervical cancer in Nigeria. He emphasised that the formation of this committee is crucial to achieving the ambitious goals outlined in the National Strategic Plan for Control of Cervical Cancer 2023-2027. 

According to the Minister, the Committee’s terms of reference (TOR) include mobilizing potential stakeholders and partners and gaining their buy-in to support the nationwide campaign for the screening and treatment of cervical cancer. It will also establish a ‘basket fund’ to pool and administer funds, donations and grants secured from the government, private sector, philanthropic organizations, development partners and NGOs for the effective implementation of the programme. This is in addition to establishing screening protocols and algorithms using HPV testing or other high-performance methods and developing clear referral pathways for women with positive test results. 

Other TOR, according to the Minister include developing and implementing the training of public and private healthcare providers in cervical cancer screening and treatment in the six geo-political zones, as well as collaborating with the relevant national and sub-national agencies to provide the infrastructural requirement for sampling, testing, and treatment and to design. 

The Committee is also tasked with the responsibility of executing communication strategies to educate women and communities about cervical cancer and establish a partnership with community leaders and influencers to promote the uptake of screening and treatment. 

The Minister further added that the Task Force is expected to submit quarterly reports through the Director General (DG) of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Prof. Usman Aliyu, on progress, challenges, and achievements. 

The Nation