Wife of Ogun Governor, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun, has called on women to imbibe the culture of regular screening for breast cancer as essential way of preventing the disease.
Bamidele made the call at the launch of Breast Cancer Awareness programme in Abeokuta on Monday, organised by Ministry of Health, in conjunction with Ajose Foundation.
She said that the current administration in the state had shown positive dispostion toward promoting breast cancer screening among women.
Represented by Mrs Olamide Dairo, the governor’s wife described breast cancer as the most common cancer among women across the world, saying early detection would ensure easier and cheaper treatment.
She assured that her Foundation and relevant government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) would continue to work with the private sector and community influencers to sponsor free mammogrammy among female residents.
In her address, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, said women in the state can prevent breast cancer by registering with the State Health Insurance Scheme under the “Ilera D’ero” initiative.
She pointed out that a token of N1000 monthly will facilitate regular screening and treatment of the disease among other over 300 diseases covered by the scheme.
She said that with developing countries like Nigeria contributing the highest quota of about 61% to the global burden of breast cancer, schemes like “Ilera D’ero” would help to reverse the trend over time.
The commissioner assured that her leadership remained committed to providing cancer screening programme for Ogun citizens, adding that it had been captured in the freshly-launched 2023 Annual Operational Plan for the Health Sector.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Kayode Oladehinde, charged participants to utilize the information provided at the programme and spread the message of early detection of cancer to their loved ones.
In her lecture, the President, Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Dr Bisi Dedeke, urged women to embrace regular self-examination of their breasts within the comfort of their homes and clinical examination at health facilities.
