The Federal Government has opened a new cancer treatment centre in Katsina State. It is located at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Katsina.
This centre is one of three launched on the same day. The other two are in Enugu and Edo States. All three were commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Health Minister Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate said the centres will help fight cancer across the country. Each year, Nigeria records over 127,000 new cancer cases. Around 80,000 people die from the disease annually.
“These centres will help us detect cancer earlier and treat it better,” he said. “Early diagnosis saves lives.”
The government plans to build three more centres in other parts of the country.
In addition to these centres, the government is also launching 350,000 diagnostic centres nationwide. These will help detect non-communicable diseases early, including cancer.
Prof. Pate said early detection improves treatment success. Late diagnosis makes cancer much harder to treat.
To support this plan, the government will train 500 new healthcare workers. They will work in the new cancer centres across the country.
Finance Minister Chief Wale Edun said the project is a major step forward. He called the new centres a boost to both health and the economy.
“These centres will offer world-class care,” he said. “They will also reduce the number of professionals leaving the country.”
He added that doctors and researchers will now be able to work with modern tools in Nigeria.
Minister of Information Mohammed Idris Malagi said the new centres show President Bola Tinubu’s strong focus on healthcare.
“This is one of many steps the President is taking to improve life for all Nigerians,” he said.
He urged citizens to use the new centres for cancer screening and treatment. He described the Katsina centre as a modern, high-quality facility.
After the event in Katsina, a government team traveled to Enugu and Edo States. They opened similar centres there as part of the national plan to improve health services across Nigeria.
