The Board Chairman of the National Hospital, Mr Tony Okam, has said
the new National Cancer and Radiotherapy Centre of the National
Hospital, Abuja, will be inaugurated in March.
Okam told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday that President Goodluck Jonathan would be expected to inaugurate the centre.
He said the facility, when completed, would reduce the medical tourism as a result of lack of capacity, adding that it would be the first of its kind in the country.
“Very soon, Mr President will come and commission the National Cancer and Radiotherapy Centre, if you think that the Trauma Centre is large and big, wait until you get to the centre.
“By the time we finish it, nobody has any reason to go abroad for any type of cancer treatment.
“The building is ready, we are waiting for one of the equipment to come, we are thinking that by end of February, March the building will be put to use for the benefit of cancer patients.’’
Okam said the building had been completed and some of the major equipment had already been supplied.
He said all the equipment that was hitherto found only in health care centres abroad would be provided at the centre.
Okam allayed fears that the hospital would not have the requisite manpower to run the centre, saying that some of the best hands in the sector had already been recruited.
“We have state -of–the- art equipment, two linear accelerators have already been procured; they are there.
“We are just waiting for one CT for the synchronisation so that whatever you have abroad you have here.
“We have the capacity; the national hospital is the apex hospital in Nigeria.
“When you have a full complement of about 100 top class consultants you cannot expect anything less”.
He, however, appealed to the private sector to assist government in the provision of health care facilities in public hospitals in the country, saying that government alone could not do it all.
The chairman said that the cost of treatment would be affordable at the hospital, adding that it had in the past engaged in corporate social responsibility to meet indigent patients’ needs.
“We do what is called corporate social responsibility. We have the trauma centre, it is almost six months now, we don’t have a budget line but the place is functioning.
“When somebody comes with a trauma patient, do they have any money, but we have to treat them and they go.’’
On the effect of the protracted strike by the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), Okam said the management remained committed to maintaining a healthy employer-employee relationship.
He said the doctors, however, were putting efforts to ensure that the absence of other workers did not shut down activities entirely.
According to him, an example of a partnership that is working can be seen in what the resident doctors are doing and that despite all the challenges you see them doing the job of nurses.
He expressed hope that both the striking union and the appropriate authorities would find a way out of the protracted strike. (NAN)
http://leadership.ng/news/health/401607/jonathan-inaugurate-national-cancer-radiotherapy-centre-march-chair
Okam told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday that President Goodluck Jonathan would be expected to inaugurate the centre.
He said the facility, when completed, would reduce the medical tourism as a result of lack of capacity, adding that it would be the first of its kind in the country.
“Very soon, Mr President will come and commission the National Cancer and Radiotherapy Centre, if you think that the Trauma Centre is large and big, wait until you get to the centre.
“By the time we finish it, nobody has any reason to go abroad for any type of cancer treatment.
“The building is ready, we are waiting for one of the equipment to come, we are thinking that by end of February, March the building will be put to use for the benefit of cancer patients.’’
Okam said the building had been completed and some of the major equipment had already been supplied.
He said all the equipment that was hitherto found only in health care centres abroad would be provided at the centre.
Okam allayed fears that the hospital would not have the requisite manpower to run the centre, saying that some of the best hands in the sector had already been recruited.
“We have state -of–the- art equipment, two linear accelerators have already been procured; they are there.
“We are just waiting for one CT for the synchronisation so that whatever you have abroad you have here.
“We have the capacity; the national hospital is the apex hospital in Nigeria.
“When you have a full complement of about 100 top class consultants you cannot expect anything less”.
He, however, appealed to the private sector to assist government in the provision of health care facilities in public hospitals in the country, saying that government alone could not do it all.
The chairman said that the cost of treatment would be affordable at the hospital, adding that it had in the past engaged in corporate social responsibility to meet indigent patients’ needs.
“We do what is called corporate social responsibility. We have the trauma centre, it is almost six months now, we don’t have a budget line but the place is functioning.
“When somebody comes with a trauma patient, do they have any money, but we have to treat them and they go.’’
On the effect of the protracted strike by the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), Okam said the management remained committed to maintaining a healthy employer-employee relationship.
He said the doctors, however, were putting efforts to ensure that the absence of other workers did not shut down activities entirely.
According to him, an example of a partnership that is working can be seen in what the resident doctors are doing and that despite all the challenges you see them doing the job of nurses.
He expressed hope that both the striking union and the appropriate authorities would find a way out of the protracted strike. (NAN)
http://leadership.ng/news/health/401607/jonathan-inaugurate-national-cancer-radiotherapy-centre-march-chair
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