By Danhassan Abubakar
A joint medical outreach by the Bauchi State chapter of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN) and the North East Development Commission (NEDC) has provided free breast and cervical cancer screening to more than 500 women and adolescent girls at the General Hospital, Alkaleri. The exercise formed part of a wider effort to raise awareness about the growing burden of both cancers among women in the region.
Speaking during the outreach, MWAN Bauchi Chairperson, Dr. Umma-Hanni Ja’afar, said the programme was sponsored by the NEDC as part of its social responsibility initiative across the six North-East states. She described breast and cervical cancers as major public health concerns, noting that cervical cancer alone claims an estimated 8,000 lives annually in Nigeria.
Dr. Ja’afar explained that the initiative aligns with the WHO global target to eliminate cervical cancer through the “90-70-90” approach—90% vaccination of girls aged 9–14, 70% screening of women at ages 35 and 40, and 90% treatment of pre-cancerous or cancerous conditions. She stressed the importance of community-based screening, saying many rural women remain unaware of the disease or its complications.
She highlighted the significance of starting the outreach in Alkaleri, noting that MWAN plans to extend similar screening programmes to all 20 LGAs of Bauchi State. She expressed satisfaction with the strong turnout, crediting community mobilization and support from local leaders for the rapid increase in attendance.
Representing NEDC, Assistant Manager Mohammed Amir Ali said the Commission is committed to improving health outcomes in the North-East, where poverty and the effects of insurgency have worsened disease vulnerability among women. Beneficiaries of the screening exercise expressed gratitude, describing the outreach as a timely intervention they had long awaited.