By Joke Adeniyi-Jackson
Worried by prevalence of lung cancer in Nigeria, a medical practitioner, Dr. Mojisola Fasikun has called on the Federal Government to subsidise the cost of cooking gas in order to discourage the use of firewood for cooking.
She made the call at a seminar organised by Kwara State chapter of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) in conjunction with Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN) and Civil Society for Cancer Eradication in Nigeria, held at the Press Centre of the state council of Nigeria Union of Journalists in Ilorin, the state capital.
Fasikun, a staff of Hematology Department of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), noted that most victims of lung cancer are non-smokers.
According to her, most of the victims of lung cancer inhaled smoke from firewood during cooking or are second hand smokers.
She explained that second hand smoking is the inhalation of smoke by persons other than the intended “active” smoker when smoke from cigarettes permeates any environment, causing its inhalation by people within that environment.
The medical expert added that most people who cook with firewood are ignorant of its inherent health hazard, adding that the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas is a safer way to cooking.
The expert identified breathing problem, constant chest pain, weight loss, bone pain, coughing up blood and headache as some of the signs and symptoms of lung cancer.
She, however, pointed out that most of the people who use firewood for cooking cannot afford the cost of gas for domestic use, saying that the LPG does not contain harmful elements.
“Government should subsidise the cost of gas and make kerosene more expensive so that those using firewood would be discouraged from buying kerosene, which they used on firewood”, Fasiku said.
Fasikun, who attributed high prevalence of lung cancer to smoking of cigarette, disclosed that about 1.3million people die annually across the globe due to the terminal disease.
While decrying the smoking of Shisha among youth, she called for legislation against the new trend of smoking to discourage people from the harmful habit.
“The harmful smoke from cigarette and firewood are harmful to the body and cause serious damage to the health, most people are ignorant of this because it has long term effect.”
In her remarks, the Special Adviser to the Kwara State Governor on Special Duties, Mrs Felicia Faremi, noted cancer remained a deadly and complex disease with high morality rate world over.
She called for advocacy against smoking of cigarette, which she said is the primary cause of lung cancer.
Earlier in her speech, the Chairperson of the state chapter of NAWOJ, Mrs Binta Abubakar Mora, explained that cancer was a major problem, which has eaten deep into the public health.
