The New Experience Newspapers Online News Indepth, Analysis and More
Benue State chapter of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN) has launched cancer screening with free monthly breast and cervical cancer screening for women for early detection and treatment of the disease.
Unveiling the medical programme at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Makurdi, wife of the Benue State Governor, Dr. Eunice Ortom, said more should be done to eradicate the disease among women in the state.
The Benue First Lady, who was represented by Dr. Irene Mngutyo, noted that not all the women who need cancer screening services could access them since the need to explore approaches that would take screening for cervical cancer to the door steps of needy women.
She said even as there was the self-examination option for women with relative to breast cancers, there was also the need to educate women on the right steps to follow and advocated more partnerships.
“Achieving goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to ensure healthy living and promote wellbeing for all at all ages is possible through partnerships.
“It is in recognition of partnership as a core pillar of sustainable development that the SDG 17 is dedicated to partnerships. With sustained and enhanced partnerships, we can surmount all health challenges including breast and cervical cancers and avail Benue State people the opportunity to live healthy, better meaningful and productive lives”, she stated.
Speaking, President of MWAN in the state, Dr. Laadi Swende, lamented that cancer has become a global problem and still remained a killer disease among women that have shortened the lives of so many.
She stressed that MWAN in the state had decided to launch the awareness programme on breast and cervical cancers screening to help women detect cases of cancer early enough to ensure early treatment in order to boost their life span.
Swende maintained that the association was committed to ensuring improvement in the standard of healthcare so as to kick cervical and breast cancers out of the state and increase the life expectancy of Benue women.
Dr. Swende urged health partners, well meaning individuals and corporate organisations to join MWAN in the fight against the killer disease, disclosing that over 4000 to 6000 women are expected to benefit from this free breast and cervical cancer screening exercise at the end of the day.
Speaking, Chief Medical Director (CMD) od the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) Makurdi, Professor Terlumun Sewende, advised women to go for regular cancer screening to ensure early detection and treatment, saying the hospital is in partnership with the FMC Makurdi to make every cancer treatment available for women in the state.
