The United States (U.S.) Consul-General, Claire Pierangelo, has described the partnership between U.S. and Nigeria private sector as a great boost to cancer patient care.
The Consul-General stated this, yesterday, when she joined dignitaries, including Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the formal opening of the Marcelle Ruth Cancer Centre & Specialist Hospital (MRCC) in Lagos.
Pierangelo said that the establishment of the MRCC facility represents “yet another example of the strong partnership between American and Nigerian private sectors to significantly improve public health outcomes.”
The new healthcare facility, founded by Dr. Modupe Elebute Odunsi, which is equipped with cutting edge American medical diagnostic equipment developed and supplied by GE Healthcare and Varian, is reputed to be Nigeria’s first comprehensive cancer treatment centre.
The consul-general maintained that the U.S. would continue to lead the world in medical research, innovation and technology, as well as providing solutions to tackle the scourge of cancer and bringing happiness to many.
She, therefore, expressed optimism that the new health facility will make cancer treatment available locally and significantly reduce medical tourism for cancer care.
ALSO, in a statement, Temitayo Famutimi of the Public Affairs Section of U.S. Consulate, Lagos, quoting the International Agency for Research on Cancer, said Nigeria recorded nearly 125,000 new cases of cancer in 2020 and about 79,000 cancer-related deaths.
“That means in every hour, 14 Nigerians are diagnosed of cancer and nine die as a result,” he stated.
By IAEA recommendations, Nigeria should have, at a minimum, 150 working medical linear accelerators. However, there are currently only between 3-5 working machines in the country at any given moment,” he stated.