Nigeria has joined 76 other countries to become a beneficiary of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC).
The initiative is aimed at increasing the survival rate of children with cancer globally to at least 60 per cent by 2030 while reducing their suffering and improving their quality of life.
The is according to a memorandum by WHO to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare conveying Nigeria’s inclusion as a focal country for GICC.
The memorandum was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.
The memorandum, titled “Expression of interest to become a focus country for GICC in the WHO African Region” was in response to Nigeria’s interest to become a focus country for GICC.
The organisation said that in recognition of the critical need to address disparities in childhood cancer care, it collaborated with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, other UN agencies, and global partners.
It said that the collaboration led to the inauguration of GICC at the UN General Assembly during the Third High-level Meeting on Non Communicable Diseases in September 2018.
According to the memorandum, currently, over 76 countries worldwide have joined the global effort to improve access to and quality of care for children with cancer across the six WHO regions.
This is through the WHO GICC’s “CureAll” framework which provides a structured approach for countries to enhance childhood cancer programmes, reduce barriers to care, and achieve improved outcomes.
“The government through the Ministry of Health in your country has demonstrated its commitment to prioritising childhood cancer in the national health agenda.
“Evidence of this commitment includes integrating childhood cancer into national cancer control plans, designating a childhood cancer focal point, and implementing core interventions from the CureAll framework.
“We are pleased to inform you that following your formal request to be a GICC focus country, WHO Regional Office for Africa has accepted the request.
“This stems from your strong political will and commitment to prioritise childhood cancer demonstrated this far.
“As a designated GICC focus country now, the country will benefit from WHO’s technical support and the resources provided by implementing partners to address identified childhood cancer priorities,” it said.
The memorandum also said that Nigeria would benefit from opportunities to engage in some of the CureAll framework’s ten core projects.
Ot said that the projects aimed to strengthen national capacities, advance care quality, and increase survival rates.
NAN reports that there has been an increase in incidences of childhood cancers globally.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in 2022, more than 275,000 children and adolescents were diagnosed with cancer worldwide, with more than 105,000 children dying from cancer. (NAN)
