Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Lagos, Professor Rose Ihuoma Anorlu has charged government at all levels to prioritize awareness, vaccination and access to Cervical Cancer Care in Nigeria.
Professor Anorlu’s charge formed part of the recommendations in her inaugural lecture titled “So Deadly, So Preventable: The Quest to Conquer Cervical Cancer”. The Inaugural lecture, the second (2nd) for the 2023/2024 academic session of the University of Lagos was delivered on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at the J.F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium.
Addressing the array of guests comprising relations, friends from the teaching and non-teaching cadres, professional colleagues, mentees, well-wishers and admirers, the inaugural lecturer shared insights into her sojourn as a junior doctor in the 1980s which afforded her a first-hand experience of the devastating impact of cervical cancer, thereby igniting her interest in the field.
Prof Anorlu who is also an Honorary Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) gave details of her works on cervical cancer which covers awareness and education about the disease, cervical cancer screening, and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination.
She expressed concerns over the limited awareness about cervical cancer and its prevention in Nigeria as proven in research which established that less than 8 percent of Nigerian women have been screened for cervical cancer, and many are unaware of HPV and HPV vaccination.
Prof Anorlu urged government to make the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines available and at no cost to both adolescent boys and girls just as efforts should be made to produce the vaccines locally.
She also advocated increased budgetary allocation to the newly established National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment to facilitate more research and training in cancer care. She also wanted Cervical cancer screening, treatment of precancerous lesions, and follow-up care to be provided free of charge to all eligible women.
Born on November 10, 1954 in Ezioha-Amano, Mbaitolu Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria, Professor Anorlu obtained her MBChB from the University of Ghana and her MPH from the University of Lagos. She was appointed as a Lecturer I in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the University of Lagos in 1994, and by 2012, she was elevated to the position of Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Currently, she heads the Oncology and Pathological Studies Unit of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, having previously served as the Head of the Department between 2015 and 2018.
Professor Anorlu is actively involved in teaching, research, and community service delivery. Her impact on the field extends to training future generations of gynaecologists specializing in the treatment of gynaecological cancers in Nigeria. She currently serves as a local supervisor for two fellows in the IGCS global curriculum mentorship and training program since January 2023.
