FG moves to expand cancer fund

• …launches skin cancer care

The Federal Government has intensified efforts to address the rising cancer burden in the country, with a renewed focus on skin cancer among vulnerable groups, particularly persons living with albinism.

It has also been revealed that the expansion of the National Cancer Health Fund (NCHF), managed by the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) and currently covering only breast, prostate, and cervical cancers, to include additional cancers such as skin cancer, has reached an advanced stage.

Similarly, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has also advanced plans for a dedicated cancer management fund that will accommodate additional cancer types, including skin cancer.

This emerged in Abuja on Thursday at the launch of free skin cancer screening services for persons living with albinism and the Shade the Sun Skin Cancer Awareness Campaign organised by NICRAT at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi.

NICRAT Director-General, Prof. Malami Aliyu, said the campaign forms part of a broader national effort to reposition cancer control towards prevention and early detection.

“This campaign is not a stand-alone intervention. It is firmly anchored within the National Initiative for Cancer Early Detection, Screening, and Coordinated Access to Networked Care (NICE-SCAN), a flagship national platform through which we are systematically repositioning cancer control in Nigeria from a reactive model to one that is preventive, evidence-driven, and people-centred,” he said.

Aliyu noted that skin cancer presents a significant risk for persons living with albinism and other high-risk groups, describing it as “not merely a medical condition, but a lived vulnerability shaped by environmental exposure, limited awareness, and inequitable access to protective resources.”

Represented by Dr. Usman Waziri Mohammed, Director of Cancer Prevention and Control at NICRAT, he said the institute had moved to institutionalise early detection as a core pillar of the national cancer response through NICE-SCAN, including the establishment of eight Preventive Oncology Clinics across the country’s geopolitical zones.

“These centres are not symbolic; they are functional hubs designed to embed routine screening into clinical practice, ensure standardised referral pathways, and reduce fragmentation within the system,” he said.

He disclosed that skin cancer screening is being integrated as a routine service within the preventive oncology framework, while healthcare workers are being strengthened with the competencies required to identify suspicious lesions early and link patients into networked care.

NHIA Director-General, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, described the intervention as necessary to address rising cases of preventable skin cancer among Nigerians living with diabetes and albinism.

“Skin cancer is largely preventable, yet it continues to claim lives… every day, every month, and causes unavoidable suffering among this population,” he said.

Ohiri noted that people living with diabetes face a significantly higher risk of developing skin cancer compared to the general population, adding that the situation required sustained government intervention.

According to him, the intervention aligns with NHIA’s strategic pillar on vulnerable group protection, noting that the health challenges facing persons living with albinism have remained insufficiently addressed.

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Ohiri disclosed that the agency was working towards establishing a dedicated fund for cancer management to reduce financial barriers to treatment.

“We are trying to have a dedicated fund for cancer management; we’ve gone very far with that,” he said.

NICRAT’s Director of Cancer Prevention and Control, Mohammed, said a review of Nigeria’s cancer ecosystem revealed that late presentation of cases remained a major challenge to treatment outcomes.

“What we realized then was the major issue with regards to cancer treatment outcomes in Nigeria is the late presentation of cancers by Nigerians to the hospitals… as well as the limited access or compromised access to care,” he said.

He noted that while the NCHF currently covers only three cancer types, efforts were underway to expand coverage to include others, such as skin cancer.

“Skin cancer is not part of what is covered under the NCHF currently… however… a lot of effort has actually been put in ensuring that we streamline, we standardize the operation… and eventually expand it… in terms of cancers that it covers,” he said.

He, however, acknowledged that funding remains the major constraint but added that with planned grants, adding, “virtually all cancers, including skin cancer, will be included in future phases of the programme.”

He said the free skin cancer screening and awareness initiative has been offered to persons living with albinism at pilot centres in Lagos and Kano, with services now underway in Abuja and plans for nationwide expansion.

All persons living with albinism who attended the programme at the three pilot centres receive skin cancer screenings, in addition to free sunscreen protection kits.

The National General Secretary of the Albinism Association of Nigeria (AAN), Adeiyi Onah Daniel, commended the NICRAT initiative, which he said followed an earlier advocacy visit aimed at addressing the burden of skin cancer among persons with albinism in Nigeria.

He, however, called for the inclusion of skin cancer care for persons with albinism under the National Health Insurance to improve access to treatment.

“Access to treatment remains a major challenge for many of our members due to financial limitations,” Daniel said.

He also appealed for the domestication and local production of sunscreen products tailored for persons with albinism, noting that locally produced sunscreens, if subsidised or provided free, would significantly improve the quality of life of their members.

Dr. Evelyn Ogedegbe of the Nigerian Association of Dermatologists said the initiative would boost awareness and early detection, which she described as critical to improving care for persons living with albinism.

According to her, increased public understanding would help address widespread misconceptions about the condition and reduce stigma in homes, schools, and workplaces.

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“It is when the people know about the condition that they will know what to do about it once certain issues start to arise,” she said, noting that albinism is neither communicable nor infectious and should not be a basis for discrimination.

Ogedegbe also commended the training of health workers under the programme, saying continuous training and retraining were essential to improving care delivery, while pledging the association’s commitment to supporting persons living with albinism.

Similarly, the President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Bala Audu, represented by the Country Director of MedicAid Foundation, Dr. Hameed Adediran, assured of doctors’ support for the scale-up of the programme across the country.

“As long as there is a doctor, you can be assured of our commitment,” he said.