By Ojoma Akor
The Project Pink Blue – Health & Psychological Trust Centre, a leading cancer nonprofit in Nigeria has called for the improvement of access to pain and palliative care for women living with cervical, ovarian, and other gynecologic cancers in the country.
The organization in a statement yesterday said Nigerian women were the most affected by the burden of gynecologic cancer, with 7,093 cervical cancer deaths and 1,824 ovarian cancer deaths.
It said that most of these Nigerian women die in pain.
Runcie C.W. Chidebe, executive director of Project Pink Blue said in Nigeria, over 50% of women with cancer endure moderate to severe pain, yet access to effective pain relief and palliative care remained a luxury rather than a right.
He said, “With less than 50% of oncology centres in Nigeria equipped with palliative care units, many patients, especially those in rural and marginalised communities, are left to suffer in silence with pain from the cancer. “Through the Count Me In: Pain & Palliative Care Project, we plan to work with the steering committee to train healthcare workers, set up a pain and palliative unit and train cancer patients.”
The 2024 International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) consensus statement on palliative care raised concerns that about 84% of women with cervical cancer suffer from pain, and many of these women living in low-income countries like Nigeria face disparities in access to pain medication.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also emphasised that access to pain and palliative care is a fundamental human right, especially for patients with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses across the world.
In Africa, particularly in Nigeria, it is still complicated and complex for patients to have access to pain medications.
WHO and IGCS have raised serious concerns about the widespread lack of access to essential pain medications, particularly oral morphine, which is considered the gold standard for treating moderate to severe cancer pain. It is now a global consensus that integrating pain management and palliative care early has been associated with improved patient outcomes.
To mitigate the burden, Project Pink Blue, in partnership with the International Gynecologic Cancer Society, USA, has announced the formation of an international Steering Committee for the Count Me In: Pain & Palliative Project (PPP).
The steering committee is established to provide strategic oversight, technical expertise, and advisory support for the successful implementation of the project.
Members will contribute to the development of training curricula for healthcare professionals, guide the implementation of the pilot unit, support research and advocacy efforts, and help scale the impact nationally.
The committee comprise Ms. Ivy Umeh a Cervical Cancer Survivor in Nigeria as co- chair; Prof. Rose I. Anorlu , Consultant, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos/LUTH, Nigeria as co-chair, and Dr. Usman Malami Aliyu, Director General, National Institute for Cancer Research and Training (NICRAT) as member.
Other members of the committee are: Dr. AnneKathryn Goodman, a Professor at Harvard Medical School, Division of Gynecological Oncology, USA ; Prof. Tonia Onyeka President, Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Nigeria (HPCAN); Dr. Onyinye Balogun , Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell School of Medicine, USA ; Dr. Raimundo Correa of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology + Palliative Care Unit, Hospital Santiago Oriente, Santiago, Chile.
Others are Pharm. Ramatu Alabelewe , Oncology Pharmacist, Ahmadu Bello
University Teaching Hospital, Shika Nigeria; Amaka Juliet , Oncology Nurse, National Hospital Abuja, Nigeria; Dr. Anisa Mburu , Gynecologic Oncologist, The Aga Khan Hospital, Mombasa, Kenya ; Representative of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare ; Imam Abduljelili T. Orankan, Chief Imam & the Branch Missioner Nasrul-Lahi-il Fathi Society of Nigeria (NASFAT) Kuje Branch Abuja Nigeria; Rt. Rev. Ishaya G. Baba, Bishop Anglican Diocese of Zaria, Kaduna Nigeria and Dr. Candidus Nwakasi, Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences, Africana Studies Institute, University of Connecticut, USA .
The statement further said that while Nigeria as a country is making strides in reducing the burden of cervical cancer through the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, women who already have cervical cancer and live in pain mustn’t be forgotten.
