Niger has recently completed the construction of its first radiotherapy centre, the Centre National de Lutte Contre le Cancer (CNLC), a milestone in the country’s efforts to make cancer care accessible. To ensure that relevant international guidelines are followed to deliver safe, effective and quality radiotherapy for patients, IAEA experts and officials from Niger met from 28 to 30 May in Vienna to consider the remaining technical and civil works before officially opening the Centre. The meeting concluded with the development of a concrete roadmap, outlining the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders and establishing a clear route toward the inauguration of the new radiotherapy centre.
Located in the capital Niamey, the CNLC is an important component in Niger’s National Strategic Cancer Prevention and Control Plan, which recognizes the need to strengthen cancer prevention and early diagnosis schemes, and to broaden access to treatment and palliative care.
“With the increasing focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), cancer care has become a priority for public health officials in Niger who were regularly forced to evacuate patients to other countries for treatment, particularly to neighbouring countries in the Maghreb and to France,” said Mr Daouda Djingarey, Project Management Officer of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) in Niger. “This method is evidently quite expensive. So, it was decided that [the IsDB] should explore options to treat all these patients here, in Niger.”
Niger has received support from the IAEA for the purchase of its first radiotherapy machine and has obtained financing for another radiotherapy unit from the Islamic Development Bank, both of which will be housed at the CNLC, expanding the range of services the Centre will provide. The IAEA will work closely with Niger to ensure that this expansion is done according to international best practices to ensure quality, safe and effective radiotherapy for patients.
