By Joyce Remi- Babayeju
The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, has raised alarm over the prevalence of cancer disease in the country.
This was contained in a Communique, issued at the end of National Executive Council NEC, of NMA Council meeting held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State from 9th to 16th of December 2018 issued at the end.
In the Communique signed by the President of the NMA, Dr Francis Faduyile the prevalence of cancer in the country is precipitated by absence of legislation to curtail exposure to environmental carcinogens like tobacco smoking and industrial pollution, poor enforcement of existing laws on cancer control, limited diagnosis and treatment facilities, high cost of managing cancer patients and the exclusion of cancer treatment in the National HEALTH Insurance Scheme.
The association also identified other cancer causative factors as inadequate budgetary allocation to the health sector, neglect and poor funding at various cancer registration centres and cancer research in the country.
And called on governments at all levels to institute effective cancer prevention and control strategies aimed at reversing the rising incidence of cancer which is a major killer of Nigerians.
The association also decried the recent and sporadic outbreak of Yellow Fever in seven states namely FCT, Kogi, Anambra, Nasarawa, Zamfara, Edo and Benue since September 2017 sporadic outbreak.
The NMA further urged its members to stick to professional ethics and values of the Medical and Dental practice noting that it has become imperative to practitioners.
It said that practitioners should pay serious attention to its laws and ethics such as professional misconduct, negligence,, confidentiality, informed consent, doctor- patient relationship and clinical trials as ways of strengthening health care delivery in the country.
The association also frowned at non payment of four months of members’ salaries by some health institutions such as the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Abia State Government to pay the salaries of doctors for eight months and casualisation of doctors at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, and non- payment of skipping arrears to doctors in some tertiary health institutions.
