By NEXTER
Nigeria’s first lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has donated N1 billion to the national cancer fund to support the fight against cervical cancer.
Mrs Tinubu made the donation when she received a delegation of the national task taskforce on cervical cancer elimination led by the Minister of State for Health, Iziaq Salako in Abuja.
She said, “I am in support of what you are doing. We are on track, especially with the approach you have adopted: test, screen, vaccinate, and treat.
“No matter what wealth you have as a nation, if your population or majority of your population is sick, you are just the poorest as far as I am concerned.
“The theme for World Health Day this year, ‘Healthy beginnings: hopeful future,’ I believe is so apt for what we are doing here today. I believe you said most of my work is 70 percent in health.
“A healthy nation is a wealthy nation. No matter what wealth you have as a nation, if your population or majority of your population is sick, you are just the poorest as far as I am concerned.”
Speaking, the minister thanked Mrs Tinubu for her support, which he said has enabled the immunisation of 12 million girls between the ages of 9 and 13 in the first nine months of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine introduction.
On his part, the chairman of the task force on cervical cancer elimination, Isaac Adewole, commended the first lady for supporting the introduction of the HPV vaccine into the routine immunisation programme.
