THE NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre commissioned recently by President Muhammadu Buhari will open its doors to patients on May 1, this year, the Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Professor Chris Bode has said.
Professor Bode said the ongoing calibrations and fine-tuning of its ultra-modern equipment to ensure compliance with international standards delayed the centre from becoming fully operational.
He stated that the requisite personnel to offer care at the centre were currently undergoing conversion training in readiness for the smooth take-off of services at the centre.
The multi-billion NSIA-LUTH cancer centre was established as a joint venture partnership between the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and LUTH to address the lack of adequate and comprehensive cancer treatment and management in the country.
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The centre, a sprawling edifice covering over 1,500 square metres, had already installed two of its three linear accelerators. It is equipped with a robust Treatment Planning System and a Brachytherapy machine to treat cervical and prostate cancers.
In addition, the chemotherapy suite can accommodate up to 15 patients at any time.
The LUTH facility has been described as the best cancer centre in West Africa and when fully operational, will handle more than 300 patients per day.
A 10-year service maintenance contract is built into the purchase agreement to enable the centre give at least a full decade of uninterrupted service.
A team of experts from training colleges which recently visited LUTH have expressed satisfaction with the state-of-the-art facility, saying it has surely rekindled hope for manpower training oncology in the sub-region.
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