Federal Government Warns Hospitals Against Sending Cancer Patients Home Too Soon

(Cancer. Photo by Live Science)

Nigeria’s healthcare authorities have ordered hospitals to stop prematurely sending cancer patients home without arrangements for continued care.

The National Coordinator of the National Cancer Control Plan stressed that when a hospital cannot provide further curative treatment, it must refer patients to facilities equipped to continue their care without interruption rather than discharge them.

A patient should only go home when clinically stable, able to take medication by mouth and unlikely to need further monitoring.

The coordinator emphasised that even advanced cancer patients warrant continued hospital-based care.

When curative treatment becomes infeasible and disease has spread, medical support should not cease.

Patients remain entitled to pain management, symptom relief and comfort care to ensure a peaceful death.

Palliative care has become central to this approach.

Rather than waiting until patients are dying or have exhausted all options, the policy mandates integrating palliative care within six weeks of diagnosis and continuing throughout the patient’s journey.

This encompasses not just physical symptom management but also psychological, social, financial and spiritual support.

Many cancer patients face job loss, income strain and mounting treatment costs, barriers that discourage disclosure and derail treatment adherence.

Early palliative integration helps patients navigate these challenges while receiving active treatment.

Pain management through palliative care and symptom-focused radiotherapy forms a critical component.

Families must be involved since cancer affects household finances, emotional stability and treatment decisions.

Spiritual care can complement medical treatment according to patient beliefs.

The strategy emphasises maintaining patients within the healthcare system across all disease stages with appropriate support until end of life, preserving dignity and quality of care regardless of curability.