At least 200 women of reproductive age in Kwara State are expected to benefit from a free cervical cancer screening programme organised by the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), in collaboration with the state government.
The initiative is aimed at promoting early detection, preventing avoidable deaths and expanding access to essential cancer prevention services among women.
The programme, being implemented in six states representing Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, seeks to integrate cancer prevention and screening into existing family planning services at primary healthcare centres.
Speaking at the inauguration of the exercise in Okelele, Ilorin, the Director-General of NICRAT, Professor Usman Aliyu, said the initiative was part of efforts to make cancer prevention and early detection an integral component of routine healthcare delivery.
Aliyu, who was represented by the institute’s Senior Scientific and Partnership Liaison Officer, Deloraine Dennis, said the programme was designed to raise awareness about cervical cancer, encourage regular screening and ensure that women who test positive for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) are linked to appropriate medical care.
He explained that the second phase of the intervention focused on integrating cervical cancer screening into family planning services, enabling women to access screening during routine visits to healthcare facilities without making separate appointments.
According to him, the pilot programme is targeting 200 women in each participating state, with plans to expand its coverage to more than 100,000 women as implementation progresses nationwide.
Aliyu also disclosed that NICRAT was promoting the use of its National Cancer Screening Registry, a digital platform designed to facilitate access to screening services and improve the monitoring of beneficiaries.
Describing the rising incidence of cancer as alarming, he called for sustained public enlightenment, regular screening and early medical intervention to reduce the disease burden in Nigeria.
“Every Nigerian woman should get checked, get screened and be aware of the signs and symptoms of these cancers. We encourage women to locate their nearest primary healthcare centre and access screening services,” he said.
He urged women to familiarise themselves with the warning signs of common cancers, including breast, cervical, liver and colorectal cancers.
He particularly encouraged women living with HIV to undergo regular cervical cancer screening because of their increased risk of developing the disease.
The NICRAT Director-General identified HPV DNA testing as the gold standard for cervical cancer screening, explaining that samples could be collected through self-sampling or with the assistance of healthcare providers.
He, however, clarified that testing positive for HPV did not automatically mean a woman had cervical cancer, stressing that further investigations would be conducted to establish the actual condition.
“Being positive for HPV does not mean you have cervical cancer. There are other methods we use to confirm whether it is cervical cancer, and where it is confirmed, there are treatment options available,” he explained.
In his remarks, the NICRAT Consultant and Team Lead in Kwara State, Dr Yahaya Mustapha Makanta, said the state was selected as the North-Central representative for the pilot phase of the national intervention.
He explained that the first phase involved assessing selected primary healthcare facilities to determine their readiness to incorporate cancer prevention services, while the second phase focused on actual cervical cancer screening.
Makanta said the institute was targeting at least 200 women of reproductive age in the state, adding that health workers, including counsellors, mobilisers, health educators, records officers and family planning service providers, had received specialised training ahead of the exercise.
He said samples collected from beneficiaries would be taken to laboratories for HPV DNA testing, after which appropriate counselling and referrals would be provided based on the results.
“The providers will help us with sample collection, and the samples will be taken to the laboratory, where the laboratory personnel will carry out the HPV DNA test.
“Those who test negative will be counselled to repeat the screening after 10 years, while those who test positive will be linked to treatment with the support of NICRAT,” he said.
A gynaecologist and facilitator of the programme in Kwara, Dr Jibril Abdullahi Daniyan, described cervical cancer as a major public health challenge, noting that the disease was largely preventable through vaccination, regular screening and timely treatment.
Daniyan disclosed that Nigeria records more than 10,000 cervical cancer cases annually, resulting in over 7,000 deaths, a situation he said required urgent and sustained intervention.
He explained that persistent infection with Human Papillomavirus accounts for more than 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases, noting that the disease generally takes between 10 and 15 years to develop following initial HPV infection.
According to him, the lengthy period provides healthcare professionals with an opportunity to identify and treat precancerous conditions before they develop into cancer.
“Once somebody gets infected with the Human Papillomavirus, it takes about 10 to 15 years in the normal population before it transforms and becomes cancer. So, you have a very long time within which you can catch it and prevent it.
“That is where we want to catch these people, before it becomes cancer. It can be treated. There are various modes of treatment,” he said.
Daniyan said the intervention aligned with Nigeria’s cervical cancer elimination strategy, which targets the vaccination of 90 per cent of eligible girls, screening of 70 per cent of women aged 35 and above, and treatment of 90 per cent of women identified with precancerous conditions by 2030.
He added that Nigeria commenced HPV vaccination in 2023 and had since vaccinated more than 18 million girls below the age of 15.
The gynaecologist urged women to take advantage of the free screening opportunity, stressing that financial constraints should not prevent anyone from accessing preventive healthcare.
“The most important thing here is to avail all women the opportunity to carry out this screening. It is very, very important because cancer is preventable. It is not right for us to sit back and allow it to kill our women,” he said.
The Kwara State Family Planning Coordinator in the Ministry of Health, Hajiya Bashirat Jattu, described the partnership with NICRAT as a significant development in the state’s efforts to improve women’s healthcare.
Jattu said the integration of cancer screening into family planning services represented an additional intervention to existing government programmes, noting that the state had consistently organised annual cervical cancer screening exercises for women of reproductive age.
She explained that the partnership would expand access by allowing women visiting primary healthcare centres for family planning services to also benefit from cancer screening.
According to her, community mobilisation and sensitisation activities had commenced ahead of the exercise, with health educators and community mobilisers visiting households to encourage women to participate.
“The activities started yesterday, and we have our community mobilisers and educators going around the communities, conducting house-to-house sensitisation to encourage women to come and access the cancer screening services,” she said.
Jattu emphasised that the screening was free and urged women to take advantage of the opportunity to know their health status and seek medical attention where necessary.
She reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to strengthening preventive healthcare through public enlightenment, early detection and improved access to essential health services.
Some beneficiaries who spoke during the exercise commended NICRAT and the Kwara State Government for providing the screening at no cost, describing the intervention as timely and beneficial.
One of the beneficiaries, Fatimat Yusuf, said the programme had relieved women of the financial burden associated with accessing screening services individually.
She noted that the exercise would enable participants to understand their health conditions and take necessary steps to protect their future well-being.
Yusuf urged other women who had yet to undergo cervical cancer screening to come forward and take advantage of the opportunity.
Similarly, Mrs Ibrahim Balikis commended the organisers and prayed for the success of the initiative, urging more women to participate and ascertain their health status.
Another beneficiary, Sidikatu Sani, said the program would help women detect possible health challenges early and save lives.
She appealed to the government to sustain the intervention and extend similar programs to women across different communities and social groups.
The beneficiaries maintained that free screening initiatives of this nature would encourage more women to prioritise their health, particularly those who cannot afford the cost of medical services.
