OGSG/NICRAT Moves To Integrate Cancer Screening Into Family Planning Services

 

In a bid to  reduce cancer-related mortality among women, the Ogun State Government, in collaboration with the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), has announced plans to integrate routine cancer screening into family planning services across public health facilities in the State.

The initiative, which focused primarily on cervical and breast cancer screening, was aimed at leveraging the wider reach of family planning clinics to ensure early detection, prompt referral and improved treatment outcomes for women of reproductive age.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ engagement meeting in Abeokuta, the Executive Secretary of the Ogun State Primary Healthcare Development Board, Dr Elijah Ogunsola, said the integration would bridge existing gaps in access to cancer screening services, particularly at the primary healthcare level.

Ogunsola said the integration would initially be piloted in selected primary healthcare centres before it would be scaled up statewide, noting that the programme would adopt simple, low-cost screening methods such as visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for cervical cancer, alongside clinical breast examinations, to ensure effectiveness at the grassroots level.

According to him, many women regularly visit health facilities for family planning services but rarely undergo cancer screening due to lack of awareness, cost and limited availability of such services.

“This initiative is a strategic move to bring life-saving cancer screening closer to women. By integrating it into family planning services, we are maximising existing contact points within the health system to promote early detection, which remained the most effective way to reduce cancer deaths,” Ogunsola said.

He added that the State government was committed to training healthcare workers, equipping facilities with necessary screening tools and ensuring a functional referral system for women who require further evaluation and treatment.

In his presentation, the State consultant, NICRAT, Dr. Nathaniel Gbenga, noted that Ogun State was one of the six States in Nigeria being supported by NICRAT to integrate cancer screening into family planning services, noting that the initiative was designed to strengthen existing health services by ensuring that women could access cancer screening during routine family planning visitation, especially those who might not otherwise seek or afford screening services.

He explained that NICRAT would provide technical support, develop screening protocols and support capacity building for health workers involved in the programme.

In her overview, State Team Lead, NICRAT, Dr. Sanni, stated that Ogun State had taken important steps towards improving access to cancer screening by integrating it into family planning services, saying that family planning clinics provided a reliable platform to reach a large number of women, including those who might not have access to cancer screening services.

She also noted that integrating cancer screening into family planning services was practical, cost-effective and sustainable, hinting that with properly trained health workers, effective counselling and functional referral systems, the strategy could help reduce cancer-related illness and deaths, hence, the approach was a direct investment in women’s health, family wellbeing and a stronger health system.

A representative of NICRAT, Mrs. Olabisi Folorunso-Lanlehin disclosed that the organization was established to lead Nigeria in fighting cancer through high-quality research, evidence-based treatment, prevention and control, aiming to reduce cancer burden and improve lives via data, policy and competent personnel.

She described the collaboration as a critical step towards achieving Nigeria’s national cancer control objectives, noting that cervical cancer remained one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among Nigerian women, despite being largely preventable through early screening and vaccination.