Posted on: Fri 13-09-2024

The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has committed $2 million to the training of healthcare professionals over the next couple of years to boost the fight against cancer in the country.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NSIA, Aminu Umar- Sadiq, who disclosed this at Medserve Oncology Summit 2.0 in Abuja, yesterday, noted that the training commenced in eight teaching hospitals across the country, stressing the need for the government to do more in building the capacity of healthcare professionals considering the increasing cases of cancer in the country.

He said: “NSIA has committed to spending $2 million to train healthcare professionals over the next few years. We have already started this programme in eight teaching hospitals across Nigeria. We should move to do more. It is important to do more because of the requirements for healthcare professionals and the scourge of cancer. Nigeria and the rest of the world need this to work efficiently.”

According to Sadiq-Umar, NSIA has established cancer centres where Nigerians continue to receive treatment across the country, adding that since its inception, the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre (NLCC) has set a new benchmark for oncology care in Nigeria, offering treatment with state-of-the-art technology.

He observed that the world-class facility improved access to diagnostics and cancer care, providing thousands of Nigerians with specialised treatments at a fraction of the price they would get if they did it abroad. NLCC, he noted, stands as a testament to the transformative potential of public/private partnerships in addressing healthcare challenges in the country.

The Minister of Health, Prof Muhammad Pate, emphasised the importance of research in discovering new knowledge, and applying new technologies, to train others. There is an economic value chain around research through the presidential initiative to unlock the healthcare value chain, he said.

On his part, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wales Edun, noted that Nigeria could treat cancer. He said: “The true test is to have the ability, the determination, to maintain the effort, so that over time, the benefits are available to a large number of people, and what you start, others can take to greater heights.”

SOURCE: GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

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