By Emma Una

CALABAR—WIVES of  five governors in the country, who are medical doctors, have joined forces to fight cancer, the ailment presently ravaging many Nigerians.

The women under the aegis of Wives of Governors Against Cancer in Nigeria, led by Dr. Mrs. Linda Ayade, wife of the Cross River Sate governor, undertook a facility tour of Asi Ukpo Diagnostic Medical Centre, the cancer treatment centre, located in Calabar, Cross River State capital.

The governors’ wives include Dr. Linda Ayade, wife of the governor of Cross River State, Dr. Amina Abubakar Bello, wife of Niger State governor, Mrs. Funsho  Amosun, Ogun State governor’s wife, Mrs. Omolewa Ahmed, Kwara State governor’s wife and Dr. Florence Ajimobi, Oyo State First Lady.

The women undertook a tour of the centre to get firsthand knowledge of the available facilities to combat the cancer scourge since it serves as a referral centre where women with cancer cases are being sent for treatment and management.

Cancer

Conducting the women round the facility, former military administrator of Rivers State and managing director of the centre, Brigadier General Anthony Ukpo (retd), said the centre commenced operations in 2013 with state-of-the-art equipment to conduct  a wide range  medical investigations,  including MRI, CT scan, digital mammography, 4 D colour Doppler, ECG Cardiac stress test and endoscopology analysis.

“In addition, largely automated laboratory equipment is employed to conduct chemical pathology, histopathology, immunology, immune-history-chemistry, flow cytometre, haematology, and medical microbiology/parasitology investigations to address all cancer and related cases,” he said.

Nigerians suffer  highest cancer in Africa

Ukpo stated that the World Health Organization, WHO, report indicated that Nigeria has the highest cancer rate in Africa with over 250,000 new cases each year and over 10,000 persons dying of cancer annually, a situation that should not be allowed  to continue.

“WHO also predicts that by 2030, close to one million people will die of cancer each year in sub-Saharan Africa and for every four people who die of HVI/AIDS, there would three who die of cancer.”

He said that having a cancer treatment centre in Nigeria became imperative because of the alarming statistics, adding: ‘The above scenario contributed to the decision to rapidly expand operations and provide specialist cancer services to meet the needs of the populace.”

Captivation by Asi Ukpo Medical Centre

Wife of the Cross River State governor, who spoke on behalf of the visiting first ladies, said: ‘We are medical doctors and from what we have seen, we are highly impressed with what the centre is offering, particularly going beyond diagnosis to treatment and management with a wide range of current medical equipment, which is a novelty and a holistic way of addressing the many cancer cases affecting people in Nigeria and of course the entire continent.”

She said the centre is a source of hope to cancer patients, currently faced with the challenges of inadequate and poorly equipped treatment centres and the high cost of travelling abroad.

Dr. Ayade said the fight against cancer is dear to their hearts of the governors’ wives and they do appreciate the vision of Brigadier Ukpo in establishing such a centre, which is the only privately owned indigenous oncology centre in Nigeria.