‘First comprehensive healthcare centre’ opens in Nigeria
The U.S. Consul General Claire Pierangelo joined dignitaries, including Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to open the Marcelle Ruth Cancer Center & Specialist Hospital in Lagos.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Nigeria recorded nearly 125,000 new cancer cases in 2020 and about 79,000 cancer-related deaths. That means every hour, 14 Nigerians are diagnosed with cancer, and nine die as a result.
The new healthcare facility founded by Dr Modupe Elebute Odunsi is equipped with cutting-edge American medical diagnostic equipment by GE Healthcare and Varian.
Delivering remarks at the event, Ms Pierangelo noted that the establishment of the MRCC represented another example of the strong partnership between American and Nigerian private sectors to improve public health outcomes significantly.
She lamented the heavy emotional and financial burden cancer places on patients and their loved ones, expressing optimism that the new health facility will make cancer treatment available locally and significantly reduce medical tourism for cancer care.
“We can only hope that more centres like the MRCC will emerge and that all stakeholders in the health system continue to take big strides towards defeating cancer. Varian, GE, and other U.S. medical equipment suppliers are ready to be reliable partners in such effort,” Ms Pierangelo said.
According to her, Marcelle Ruth Cancer Center & Specialist Hospital is the “first comprehensive healthcare centre in Nigeria and perhaps the whole of Africa,” with the most advanced radiotherapy treatment.
“With these diagnosis and treatment capabilities now available in Nigeria at MRCC, Nigerians do not need to travel overseas again to seek medical solutions for any kind of cancer,” she added.
By IAEA recommendations, Nigeria should have, at a minimum, 150 working medical linear accelerators. However, there are currently only between three to five functional machines in the country at any given moment.
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