A non-governmental organisation, MedicAid Cancer Foundation , has presented nine million naira cheque to thirty cancer patients at the national hospital in Abuja to help with their treatments.
More than 9million in aid was given out by Medicaid cancer foundation, a non- governmental organization that has so far assisted more than 600 cancer patients across the country.
Kemi Balogun reports that cancer is the second most common cause of death in developed countries and among the top three leading causes of death in developing countries.
It is estimated that by the year 2020; 16 million new cases will be diagnosed annually out of which 70 percent will be from developing countries like Nigeria which accounts for more than 70,000 deaths from cancer annually.
Cancer treatment can be financially draining for most families who have a loved one battling to overcome the disease.
More than 50 percent of people living with cancer cannot afford treatment nor have access to it. Most of the patients have to go through a combination of treatments, such as surgery with chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Other treatment options can also include Immunotherapy, targeted therapy or hormone therapy. But all treatments require a lot of finances for their treatments.
The non-governmental organization has also helped to diagnose about 30,000 persons with cancer in the last decade.
