Runcie Chidebe: A major progress in Prostate Cancer awareness and cancer control in Nigeria

Runcie Chidebe, Executive Director of Project PINK BLUE, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“For the leading national newspaper in Nigeria – The Guardian Newspaper to feature Prostate Cancer awareness and advocacy on its front page is a major progress in cancer control in Nigeria.

More men losing prostate cancer fight to hefty costs, late detection – Guardian Newspaper Nigeria.

Nigeria is grappling with a silent epidemic. Prostate cancer, the most common malignancy among men, is striking at a devastating proportion. With a staggering 49 new diagnoses and 31 deaths daily, the disease is imposing both a retching and wretched burden on individuals, family finances and a healthcare system in dire straits.

United in agony, both patients and practitioners are calling for a stronger healthcare safety net to ease those pains in the balls when they occur and ultimately decrease the body count, Nkechi Onyedika-Ugoeze reports.

In this front page feature, Fidelis Ebu, Project PINK BLUE’s board chair Prof. Peter O. Ebigbo; Chief Consultant Urologist, Dr. Lawal; Director General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu and myself were interviewed on the state of prostate cancer control in Nigeria.

In my response to the interview: I lamented that the major challenge confronting cancer patients is the lack of funds for treatment, as between N3m to N10 million is required.

‘How many Nigerian men can pay this money from their pockets to get treated? Cancer treatments are not cheap; Nigerians are crowdfunding to get money to pay for their treatments. Some men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in their mid-life or later life.

For those diagnosed at mid-life when they are still active with work life, paying for treatment may be easy, but for those who have retired, it is usually a big challenge.’

Chidebe observed that until health insurance is prioritised, Nigerians would continue to suffer from the financial burden of cancer and other diseases.

Regarding the accessibility and effectiveness of CHF, Chidebe said the fund is no longer transparent as the number of beneficiaries and treatment costs are unknown.

‘We do not know how many cancer patients have benefitted from this fund, who and where they are. Who are the people deciding who gets the funds? Are cancer patients part of the decision-making process? Nigerians should know where and who is benefitting from this fund.

He said that this issue has marred the capacity of other non-state actors and private sectors to support the fund,’ he said.

In this special feature, Prof. P.O. Ebigbo, Professor of Psychological Medicine, Winner, of  Nigeria’s Merit Award in Medicine, His Royal Majesty, The first African to be elected into the International Council for Rehabilitation of Torture Victims, shared his prostate cancer story.”

Read further.

More posts featuring Runcie Chidebe.

Runcie C.W. Chidebe serves as the Executive Director of Project PINK BLUE and holds a position as an External Academic Board Member for the Birmingham and Lewisham African and Caribbean Health Inequalities Review. With a background in psychology, research, and social entrepreneurship, Runcie is deeply committed to cancer control advocacy and global health consultancy.

He is dedicated to supporting underprivileged cancer patients, organizing free screenings for breast and cervical cancer in rural areas, fundraising for those in need, advocating for policy changes with governments, and providing specialized training for healthcare professionals in oncology and cancer awareness, including in local dialects.