The Federal Government has inaugurated a radiotherapy centre with new multilevel linear accelerator equipment for cancer treatment. It is situated at the National Hospital Abuja.
Wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo unveiled the centre and the equipment. This is to rekindle the hope of the average Nigerian on the philosophy of the change mantra as made by the APC during the electioneering campaign.
The journey to this feat started in late last year when the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole paid a working visit to the hospital to assess the state of its infrastructure. He discovered that a brand new radiotherapy machine was purchased and supplied in 2013. An investigation showed that the machine was not assembled or installed but still in the crate of the manufacturer.
Part of the challenges was the inability to construct a bunker where the machine will be placed to operate immediately. The minister ensured necessary and timely approval was secured from President Muhammadu Buhari to fast-track the completion of the abandoned construction of the bunker which was increased from one to two to accommodate more radiotherapy machines. The replacement of the non-functional components of the equipment, the upgrading, the increment in bandwidth capacity and installation of the radiotherapy machine, with accompanying training of medical staff to South Africa, were all done.
A study conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer IARC in collaboration with National Cancer Institute USA revealed that 12.7 million new cases of cancer were discovered in 2008 with 7.6 million cancer-related deaths recorded. In 2012, the number of deaths globally has increased by 100 percent to 14 million with a threatening projection that by the end of 2030, 30 million people representing 39.6 percent of both men and women living with cancer will die.
“An overview of this frightening analysis further revealed that 56 percent of the newly reported cancer cases occurred in developing countries with Africa having the highest number of morbidity and mortality, owing to a geometric increase in population growth with the commonest of cervical, breast and prostate cancer leading the chart. Sadly, Nigeria has the highest concentration of cancer cases in Africa as 100,000 new cases occur yearly and 15 percent death recorded representing 20 percent of Africa`s death ratio,” he noted.
Prof Adewole noted that the most unfortunate perspective to the menace is the myopic view that cancer is a disease of the rich and wealthy, whereas studies have shown that the poor and downtrodden are also suffering in silence, they have accepted as fate, as such death sentence when confronted with the cancer disease as they cannot afford the cost of management.
He added: “Sadly again, just like every critical sector of Nigeria before the advent of the Buhari administration which was in an appalling state, there was no single federal health facility where radiotherapy could be performed in Nigeria, as seven out of the teaching hospitals where such diagnostic equipment was totally in bad shape and nonfunctional, making Nigeria loose foreign exchange in medical tourism to countries like India, China, South Africa and even Ghana. Now, Nigeria can halt medical tourism with this center”.
Mrs Osibajo observed that when President Muhammadu Buhari nominated Professor Adewole, a renowned and seasoned medical professional with an intimidating profile with enviable successes, a man who was at a time the President Elect of the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) saddled responsibility to fashion a five year strategic plan for the organisation and develop Capacity of African Physicians and Nurses to manage, treat and prevent cancer , there was a ray of hope for cancer patients as he categorically and expressly promised to build seven state of the art centre of excellence for cancer management in the country, however, owing to the global economic meltdown which plunged Nigeria into recession and the huge deficit of 48 percent in expected revenue, the promise by the professor of obstetrics and gynecology becomes gloomy and unrealisable in the past months.
Mrs Osinbajo lauded the efforts of the federal ministry of health and the hospital management for making the facility a reality. She described the death of close to 15000 Nigerians annually as unimaginable and assured that the present administration under the leadership of President Buhari will ensure that quality health delivery system is restored.
“I look forward to a day that the cure of cancer shall finally come but I am delighted that despite limited resources, the country is taking giant strides in the right direction, with the installation of the machine, there is hope for cancer patients as they will be helped with the facility”.
The minister for health, Dr Osagie Ehanire on his part lamented the decay in medical infrastructure inherited by this administration in terms of equipment, logistics and foreign relations with international partners. He explained that based on the review of the international atomic energy of all countries conducted in 2013, only South Africa and Egypt have the material capability of treating and managing cancer, he further reassured the commitment of the government to upgrade seven other cancer centres in the 2018 budget in order to minimise the burden of cancer and associated death rates, re-emphasizing the positive effect the machine will have on other vital organs of the body when the precise diagnosis is carried out”.
He said the encouraging report about the entire radiotherapy project at the national hospital is that about a 100 cancer patients can now use the machine daily , the urge and zeal for medical tourism will be on the decline as the newly installed machine is one of the most advanced and sophisticated technology in the world with standard ratings with what is obtained in European countries, India and South Africa.
Prof Oyewole also got the financial commitment of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company SNEPCO to the tune of over $1million for the purchase of another brand new LINAC radiotherapy equipment to be installed in a second bunker at the National Hospital by January 2018. The NDDC equally promised to install the same equipment at the University of Uyo and University of Port Harcourt teaching hospitals while the Kano State Governor has signified intention to purchase a brand new LINAC radiotherapy equipment.
The drive of the President Buhari led the administration to completely overhaul the health system in Nigeria is fast gaining momentum as his vision for the revitalisation of functional Primary Healthcare Centres PHCs has yielded 1100 facilities already with the second phase of 774 under construction, which will in turn reduce the unnecessary pressure on the secondary and tertiary medical centres as they will be a place of reference to manage topical disease associated with our region like malaria, hypertension, vaccination and immunisation, tuberculosis, ante and postnatal care etc.
Dr Ehanire said another milestone which will herald the birth of preventive medical practice in the country is the commencement of the screening of 250,000 Nigerians both men and women who are above the age of 50 to breast, cervical and prostate cancer by the Federal Ministry of Health in all the federal teaching and medical centres in the countries free of charge who hitherto cannot afford the bills attached to such screening.
Also, there will be the purchase of anti-retroviral drugs for 2,000,000 people, carrying out of 10,000 free cataract surgeries and free treatment of 800 patients with confirmed diagnosis of Hepatitis C infection. “The age-long saying that health is wealth is gradually becoming a reality in the Nigeria of today as it relates to the implementable agenda of the APC led administration in the health sector which will drastically reduce the unfortunate incidence of medical tourism where over $1billion is lost annually, retracing our steps has been configured by the present leadership of the health ministry and all we could do is to be partners in progress for the actualisation of a safe and disease free Nigeria,” he added.
