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In an effort to close the wide gap of deficiency of cancer workforce in the country, the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) has trained over 1000 health workforce in different specialties of cancer in the past few months.
The Director General of NICRAT, Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu, disclosed during the joint opening ceremony of four different trainings in Abuja.
The training includes cancer immunotherapy, colorectal cancer surgery, train-the-trainer on the identification of the signs and symptoms of childhood cancer, and training on critical thinking and research in oncology nursing.
The 4 different trainings, which drew participants from the six geo-political zones of the country, will last for three days.
Prof. Malami lamented that the country lacks enough workforce in oncology to tackle the rising cases all forms of cancers among Nigerians, noting that the trainings will add value to the skills and knowledge of oncology workforce in the country.
Explaining the rationale for the training, the NICRAT Director General said: “Oncology is one of the evolving areas in medicine. Generally, we have a shortage of oncology workforce in the country.
“And you know, part of the mandate of NICRAT is to train and acquire enough oncology workforce for the country, vis a vis from surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncologist, oncology nurses, medical physicists, and even the palliative care staff.
“And the importance of this is to deliver the required care, and not only the required care but also the quality and timely cancer care when needed.
“As part of our activities for the implementation of the activities from our 5-year strategic plan, the Institute is designed to train all the oncology workers in the country. This is just the beginning, but we intend to continue training and retraining until the country has enough, as promised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government. So that is why we are having these very important trainings.”
Speaking on the trainings conducted by the Institute since the two few months, Prof. Malami said: “Since its inception in early 2023, NICRAT has initiated various strategies aimed at reducing the burden of all forms of cancers in Nigeria. One of such strategies is organising training and retraining for healthcare workers on various aspects of cancer care, prevention, treatment and control.
“The most recent being training of healthcare workers at primary and secondary facilities on the early detection and management of chronic Hepatitis B and C and Liver cancer across Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara states, which ended yesterday.
“Also, few months ago, NICRAT dispatched experts across to the six geo-political zones to conduct three important trainings. One is the training of Biomedical Engineers and Medical Physicists; two is training on Psycho Oncology for healthcare workers at the tertiary healthcare level; and three is training on Cervical Cancer Screening and Referral for primary and secondary healthcare workers. Over 1000 healthcare workers benefited from these trainings across different regions of the country.”
