He said: “For a population of 201 million, Nigeria has less than 90 clinical oncologists who provide cancer treatment to over 100,000 cancer patients across the cancer centres.
“In our calculation, it means that there is only one cancer doctor to over 1,100 cancer patients in Nigeria.”
While lamenting the mass migration of healthcare workers from Nigeria to foreign countries in recent years, Chidebe said the situation had worsened the inequitable distribution of health care workers in the country.
“As of today, 9 in 10 Nigerian physicians are seeking opportunities abroad.
“In Nigeria, there are 74,543 registered physicians, however, only an estimated 40,000 are practising in the country for a population of 201 million,” he lamented.
•Stakeholders urge emergency declaration on health sector
Health stakeholders have alerted the Federal Government to a looming shortage of over 50,120 doctors and 137,859 nurses in Nigeria by 2030.
This translates to 33.45 per cent and 29.25 per cent gap in the two categories of medical professionals nationwide.
According to them, the most populated nation would approximately need 149,852 doctors and 471,353 nurses by 2030, but regretted that only 99,120 doctors and 333,494 nurses were available.
Speaking at an event in Abuja to launch the upgrade oncology programme to support government’s efforts in cancer control, the Project Pink Blue Executive Director, Runcie Chidebe, urged the President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency on the shortage of healthcare workforce in the country.
Declare State Of Emergency In Health Sector, Stakeholders Tell FG thewhistler.ng - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thewhistler.ng Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The groups are Project PINK BLUE, Network of People Impacted by Cancer in Nigeria (NePICiN), Raise Foundation and Abuja Breast Cancer Support Group (ABC-SG).
In a joint statement, they noted that the first Nigerian to die of COVID-19 was a cancer patient.
They said the country currently has over 100,000 cancer patients and over 70,000 of them die yearly, adding that more cancer patients should not have to die because of COVID-19.
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“The first Nigerian to die of COVID-19 was a cancer patient who contracted the virus. Clearly, people living with cancer and other underlying diseases are at greater risk of contracting and dying from COVID-19,” the statement read.