Victor EzejaFormer Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, says Nigeria has the capacity to begin the production of vaccines to tackle cancer and other communicable and noncommuoncable diseases in the country.
Professor Pate stated this while appearing before the Senate for screening as a ministerial nominee on Wednesday, 2 August 2023.
The ex-minister is one of the first set of 28 ministerial nominees sent to the Senate last week by President Bola Tinubu for screening and confirmation.
Pate, who is a Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership in the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard University, has served in various health bodies both in Nigeria and at the world level.
Addressing the Senators, Professor Pate, who was asked questions on what he would do to address issues in the nation’s healthcare sector, stressed that there is a need to prepare for outbreak of diseases by strengthening primary healthcare institutions across the country and building trust in the citizens.
He said the country need to strengthen the healthcare system, noting that what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that health security is part of national security and equally has a link with economic wellbeing of a nation.
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He further stated that part of the measures to ensure health security is putting in place the infrastructure to begin the production of vaccines to curb the spread of communicable and non-communicable diseases.
He said some African countries like Rwanda and Senegal, are planning to begin producing vaccines and if Nigeria does begin to do so, they would produce and sell to the country.
He said that with the availability of human and material resources, Nigeria can go beyond the ones that are already in place and engage in producing advanced vaccines for diseases like cancer.
“We can go beyond the vaccines that are already in place, the cheaper vaccines, and go towards more advanced vaccines like cancer vaccines. Those are arenas that we can look forward to, given the size of our economy, the resources that God has endowed this country with, and the leadership of our president to see how we can invest on that path so that we will be more secure in the supplies that we get for our health and get the economic dividends from that investment,” Pate stated.
Speaking further on the issue of the health system, Pate pointed out that infrastructure is a big concern, adding that about 600,000 people are lost as a result of non-communicable diseases which can be prevented with the availability of vaccines.
“We lose about 600,000 people from non-communicable diseases we talk about infectious diseases without vaccine preventable. There are many other diseases that are non-communicable, cancer is one of them, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and others. Now, there are vaccines that can prevent some types of cancers, the hepatitis B vaccine, and many other vaccines can prevent cancer in effect, they prevent an infection that can cause cancer. The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine for adolescent girls, prevents a viral infection that can lead to cervical cancer in women, and we have a large burden of cervical cancer, particularly in this country and our women bear the brunt of it.
“In dealing with cancer there is a preventive side in addition to screening, and also the vaccination. There is a vaccine which is available in most other countries.”
He disclosed that Nigeria is getting ready to have the HPV vaccine in the next few months, with the support of the Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiative (GAVI).
He also emphasized the need for sensitization of the people to understand the value of preventing diseases such as cancers before they happen.
He added that once the vaccines are available and subsidized it would go a long way in curbing the spread of the disease.
He urged the government to be responsible for the health of the people by making significant investments in the sector and should not outsource the financing to foreign donors to avoid influencing the country’s priorities.
“We should be responsible for the health of our people. We should invest in that direction, and we should not outsource it, because the more we outsource it to donors from outside with grant financing, they can then influence our priorities but the more we invest with our domestic resources, then we can control the priorities that fit with our people. And if we stick to the idea that government is about service, and the people are the reason why government exists, then prioritizing the health of the population is going to be one of the most important things that we should all be doing.”
He further expressed confidence that under the leadership of President Tinubu, Nigeria will become a hub for healthcare not only for the country but also for the continent.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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