The Federal Government has urged hospitals and other healthcare facilities to ensure that cancer patients who still require medical attention are not sent home without arrangements for continued care.
The National Coordinator of the National Cancer Control Plan, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Uchechukwu Nwokwu, made the call in Abuja, stressing that the inability of a hospital to provide further curative treatment should not mean the end of care.
Nwokwu said patients who require treatment beyond a facility’s capacity should be promptly referred to another appropriate hospital to ensure continuity of care.
He explained that cancer treatment may involve surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or targeted therapy, depending on the type and stage of the disease and the patient’s condition.
According to him, even when cancer has advanced to a stage where cure is no longer possible, patients must continue to receive medical care, particularly pain and symptom management.
He also stressed the importance of palliative care, noting that it should not be reserved for patients at the end of life. Rather, it should be introduced early, preferably within six weeks of diagnosis, and continue alongside other cancer treatments.
Nwokwu said palliative care should address patients’ physical, psychological, social, financial and spiritual needs, while families should also be involved in the care process.
He added that pain management remains a critical component of cancer care and that radiotherapy could sometimes be used to relieve pain and other symptoms even when the goal is no longer to cure the disease.
The coordinator urged healthcare providers to maintain a continuum of care that protects the comfort, dignity and quality of life of cancer patients throughout their illness.
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