The Kano Cancer Treatment Centre (KCTC) has provided free radiotherapy worth more than N12 million to 10 indigent cancer patients in Kano State.
The Chief Executive Officer of the centre, Dr Nafisa Abdu, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, saying the intervention was designed to help patients who could not afford the cost of cancer treatment.
Abdu said the beneficiaries were selected after a discreet assessment of their financial circumstances to ensure that the support reached patients with genuine financial needs.
“Our goal is not publicity, but impact. We worked with our team to identify patients who had exhausted all options and truly had no means of support,” she said.
She explained that some beneficiaries were referred by the Kano State Ministry of Health, while others were already undergoing treatment at the centre.
According to her, the initiative is part of KCTC’s efforts to improve access to cancer treatment, particularly for vulnerable patients facing financial difficulties.
“At the cancer centre, our responsibility is to treat cancer patients. For those whose cases are beyond cure, especially stages three and four, we focus on managing the disease to improve their quality of life,” she said.
Abdu expressed concern over the growing cancer burden and called for greater investment in prevention, early detection and access to treatment.
She described radiotherapy as an important treatment option for several forms of cancer, explaining that it uses high-energy radiation to destroy or control cancer cells.
Depending on the type and stage of cancer, she said, radiotherapy could be used to treat the disease or manage symptoms and improve the quality of life of patients with advanced cancer.
The KCTC chief executive, however, noted that the cost of treatment remained a major barrier for many patients, with cancer treatment potentially exceeding N1 million.
She said financial constraints had caused some patients to discontinue or completely abandon treatment.
“Some of these patients have completely given up on treatment because they simply cannot afford it,” Abdu said.
She expressed hope that the free treatment programme would become an annual initiative, allowing more financially disadvantaged cancer patients to access essential care.
Abdu also stressed the need for stronger partnerships and support systems to reduce the financial burden of cancer treatment and ensure that vulnerable patients are not denied care because of their inability to pay.
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