The federal government on Friday said it would continue to prioritise cancer care through the expansion of infrastructure and treatment centres.

Iziaq Salako, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, made this known during a visit to the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Meta, in Lagos.

Mr Salako, who spoke on the forthcoming Cancer Day celebration, revealed that the government had created the Cancer Health Fund to support cancer patients nationwide.

World Cancer Day is observed every February 4 to raise awareness and encourage disease prevention, detection and treatment.

The theme of the 2025 Cancer Day is “United by Unique” and focuses on a people-centered approach to cancer care.

“I can tell you that generally Mr President has asked us to prioritise attention to cancer in terms of expanding the treatment possibilities and expanding the infrastructure.

“We have what we call the cancer health fund, which is an intervention fund provided by the federal government to support patients that are diagnosed with cancer.

“We have also introduced what we call the catastrophic health fund, which focuses on supporting kidney problems.

“Dialysis has been moved from about N50,000 per session to about N12,000 per session as a result of this intervention.

“So, the government is prioritising cancer care and ensuring that a lot of awareness is created and preventive activities are promoted,” he said.

According to Mr Salako, the government has also taken a bold step to increase access to medical care across the country by establishing new federal medical centres and approving new medical schools.

(NAN)