MWAN, ESLF LAUNCH MONTHLY BREAST & CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING IN BENUE…STATE FIRST LADY CALLS FOR SCREENING OF NEEDY WOMEN.

The Founder, Eunice Spring of Life Foundation (ESLF) and First Lady of Benue State, Dr. Eunice Ortom, has called for urgent steps to take cervical cancer screening and the know-how for self breast examination to the door steps of needy women especially those living in rural areas.

Dr. Ortom made this call at the launch of the free screening for breast and cervical cancer organised by the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Benue State, in partnership with ESLF and other Non-Governmental Organisations in the State.

According to her, “with sustained partnerships, we can surmount all health challenges including breast and cervical cancer and avail our good people of Benue State the opportunity to lead healthy, better, meaningful and productive lives.”

The ESLF Founder, who was represented by Dr. Irene Mngutyo, an Associate Professor with the Benue State University Makurdi, and wife of the Minority Leader and member representing Tarka State Constituency at the State Assembly, stressed the need to take the free testing scheme to the 23 local government areas in the State to be able to reach women in rural areas.

While observing that many women do not screen for cancer due to ignorance or sheer lack of financial means to pay for screening, Dr. Ortom lamented the sad reality that “many women trade off their health for basic needs due to the harsh economic realities.”

She said while the free monthly screening for cancer would last 12 months, possibly beyond, the exercise comes with awareness creation about cancer to address the huge knowledge gap.

The Benue First Lady commended the MWAN leadership and management of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Makurdi, “for graciously dedicating the hospital’s resources for this social good for women”. She also commended her partners in the development and humanitarian aid sector for contributing their quota to ensure that the programme succeeds.

A Consultant Oncologist, Dr. Samuel Otene, while giving an overview of cancer, described cancer as the “uncontrolled growth of an abnormal cell”, and asserted that although the cause of cancer is still largely unknown, certain pre-disposing factors have been identified which might increase people’s chances of contracting cancer.

Dr. Otene said while certain “avoidable factors” such as smoking, alcoholism, obesity, sedentary lifestyles and a diet devoid of fruit and vegetable predispose one to cancer, other “unavoidable factors” such as one’s gender, age, size of breast, complexion, race and genetic factors might also pre-dispose one to cancer.

He advised people to carry out periodic screening for cancer as it could help in early detection at which stage treatment could be carried out effectively.

The Chief Medical Director of FMC, Makurdi, Dr. Peteru Inunduh and his counterpart at the Benue State Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Dr. Terrumun Swende, both called on women to take advantage of the cancer screening facilities available at FMC and BSUTH.

Highpoints of the event included a practical training on self-examination of the breast by the Programme Manager of M-WAN, Dr. Chisa Ugboaja, and the actual screening for cervical cancer for women. Dr. Ugboaja advised women who were subscribed to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to avail themselves of the free cancer screening package that is also accessible through the scheme.

Available statistics show that 240 Nigerians die of cancer daily and this is the trend that the newly-launched MWAN and ESLF free cancer screening programme seeks to reverse. Targeted at over 4000 women, the programme aims at promoting early detection and treatment of cancer to save the lives of women in Benue State and beyond.

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