The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) has commenced a free cervical cancer screening campaign in Ebonyi State, targeting 200 women in the second phase of its programme to integrate cancer prevention services into family planning at primary healthcare centres.

Implemented in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the National Task Force on Cervical Cancer Elimination, the intervention is part of a nationwide initiative covering six states across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

Speaking during the exercise in Abakaliki, Moses Ekuma, Ebonyi State Commissioner for Health, described cervical cancer as a preventable and treatable disease, urging women to take advantage of early screening to reduce cancer-related deaths.

Ekuma said the state government was willing to support an expansion of the screening target from 200 to 2,000 women, noting that the intervention aligned with Governor Francis Nwifuru’s People’s Charter of Needs agenda, which prioritises healthcare delivery and the prevention of avoidable deaths.

He said the state had previously organised screening programmes for cervical, breast and prostate cancers, adding that healthcare workers would be mobilised to educate women on the importance of screening during visits to primary healthcare facilities.

Ifeyinwa Okeke, the NICRAT State Team Leader for the National Initiative for Cancer Early Detection, Screening and Coordinated Access to Network Care (NISCAN), said the exercise was the second phase of the programme, following the first phase conducted in December 2025, which focused on breast cancer screening and awareness.

She explained that the current phase involved training healthcare workers from three primary healthcare centres to conduct Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing, a World Health Organisation-recommended method for cervical cancer screening. The programme also seeks to strengthen data collection, referral systems and the integration of cancer screening into family planning services.

Okeke disclosed that more than 10,000 women were screened for breast cancer during the first phase, with four women found to have abnormalities and referred to the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki for further evaluation.

She added that the current screening was being conducted with the TrueNAT machine provided by NICRAT, while additional equipment, including a thermal ablation machine and a colposcope, would be deployed to support further assessment and treatment of women with precancerous cervical lesions.

Also speaking, Musa Segun Terere, Senior Scientific Officer at NICRAT, who represented Usman Malami, the institute’s Director-General, said the NISCAN initiative was designed to promote early cancer detection and ensure that people with suspected abnormalities were linked to appropriate healthcare facilities for further management.

Terere explained that women found with precancerous lesions could receive treatment through thermal ablation, while those requiring advanced medical intervention would be referred to tertiary hospitals.

Some beneficiaries, including Ibere Chinanye and Modester Oroke, commended NICRAT for providing free screening but appealed for an extension of the exercise and wider publicity through radio and television to enable more women to benefit.

The beneficiaries said many women were yet to receive information about the programme and urged the organisers to sustain the intervention to improve access to preventive healthcare.