By Emmanuel Emeka
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has warned that rising insecurity across the country is worsening an already fragile cancer care system, leaving vulnerable communities without access to screening, diagnosis and treatment.
The warning was issued at the World Cancer Symposium, where health experts, security agencies and civil society groups examined how conflict, displacement and attacks on health facilities are deepening Nigeria’s cancer burden and driving preventable deaths, particularly among women and internally displaced persons.
Delivering the keynote address, President of the NMA and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Azare, Prof. Bala Audu, described the situation as a “dual crisis” of increasing cancer cases and escalating insecurity.
He said, “Cancer care in Nigeria is already fragile in peaceful settings. When insecurity, displacement and fear of travel are added, access becomes almost impossible for many communities.”
Audu explained that health facilities in conflict zones are frequently destroyed, abandoned or left without skilled personnel, further limiting access to lifesaving services.
Drawing from his experience providing volunteer medical services in internally displaced persons’ camps during the peak of insurgency in the North-East, he noted that cancer prevention and screening were largely absent from humanitarian responses.
“In most IDP camps, services are limited to maternal and child health. There are no screening facilities and no preventive interventions such as HPV vaccination, even though cervical cancer is preventable and remains one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among Nigerian women,” he said.
Audu disclosed that Nigeria records about 137,000 new cancer cases annually, with more than half of patients dying from the disease, largely due to late presentation and poor access to care.
“Because cancer is seen as a death sentence, many people are afraid to seek a diagnosis. In conflict areas, even those willing to seek care often cannot travel safely to facilities where services are available,” he added.
He further stressed that breast and cervical cancers, the two most common cancers among Nigerian women, are largely preventable through screening and vaccination, yet account for more than half of cases nationwide.
“This tells us clearly that we are not doing enough. Awareness must go hand in hand with access. Screening must be expanded through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and donor support to reach eligible Nigerians, including those in insecure and hard-to-reach areas,” Audu said.
The NMA president also warned that insecurity is accelerating both internal and external brain drain in the health sector, as doctors and other health workers flee unsafe postings.
“Health facilities are soft targets. Once workers are attacked or kidnapped, they leave. When they leave, services collapse,” he said.
He added that poor data collection from conflict-affected areas further weakens cancer planning and policy implementation.
“What is not measured will not be prioritised,” he said.
“Cancer does not recognise conflict. Insecurity must not determine who survives. If we act decisively, we can protect lives even in crisis.”
Also speaking at the symposium, the representative of the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, the Air Force Chief Medical Officer, Air Vice Marshal Ikechukwu Joseph Ogbodo, said the Nigerian Air Force is supporting healthcare delivery in insecure areas.
“In addition to kinetic operations, the Air Force has flown medical personnel, patients and equipment from unsafe areas to safer locations,” Ogbodo said.
“These capabilities can be deployed to support cancer care in partnership with health organisations.”
A cancer survivor and patient advocate, Sera Shiminenge, said insecurity is forcing many patients to choose between seeking treatment and risking their lives.
“I referred a woman for treatment, and she told me she would rather die at home than risk her life on the road. Many patients cannot travel, and some die before they ever reach a hospital,” she said.
Participants at the symposium called for stronger collaboration between government, security agencies, professional bodies and civil society groups to integrate cancer prevention, screening and treatment into Nigeria’s conflict-response and humanitarian planning frameworks.
