UI alumni association set to establish N2 billion-worth cancer diagnostic centre in UCH

The University Ibadan Alumni Association (worldwide) has declared its intention of keying into the global efforts to stem the devastating impact of cancer in the society by embarking on a N2 billion appeal fund for the establishment of a cancer diagnostic centre at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.

Making this declaration was the President worldwide, University of Ibadan Alumni Association (UIAA), Professor Elsie Adewoye in her address at a world conference held at the Dr Michael Omolayole Alumni Complex of the university on Saturday.

She said: “The question may be asked why we have chosen to intervene in cancer research and not other disease.Why not HIV and AIDS, for instance, or the twin threats of diabetics and hypertension, or even sickle cell anaemia, which has been described as a disease of the black race?”

“The fact that these and indeed other diseases have been of major concern to medical researchers all over the world, cancer has emerged as a leading cause of death annually and globally.”

According to her, the main objective of the alumni’s effort is to use the excellent knowledge and sound judgment that their alma mater, UI, has equipped the members with to impact positively on the other members; the university, the Nigerian society and indeed, humanity.

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She added that the rationale behind the world conference was to draw the attention of the growing incidence of the disease in Nigeria and also to solicit the support of all public-spirited persons, organisations institutions, agencies, commissions, churches, among others to join hands with the association to find acceptable and realistic solution to the health problem.

She noted that cancer is not a disease condition that is peculiar to Nigeria, but a global implication which requires a synergy of interventions on a global scale.

She revealed further that the Global Burden of Disease Study in 2015, showed that the death due to cancer-related illness rose by 17 per cent between 2005 and 2015, and projected that by 2030 new diagnosed cases would have risen by 68 per cent to 23.7 million, while it further estimated that cancer caused 8.8 million deaths,(one in every six deaths) globally in 2015 and cost the world in 2010 the best part of US 1.16 trillion.

She therefore reiterated an appeal for the support of all people of goodwill, critical stakeholders in the health sector in Nigeria to rise in solidarity with UIAA in its onerous and worthy quest beyond as well as the media for the purpose of advocacy in order to create the necessary public awareness on preventive measures of the illness.

While responding to question of the time frame for raising the fund and completion of the project, at the conference, Mr Hyacinth Kiagba, a member of the fund-raising committee, said between now and October the association hopes to have realised the sum and in the space of  six months, all the required equipment should have been purchased.

He noted that though the treatment offered at the centre might not be totally free, it would be technically reduced and highly subsidised.

A professor of Oncology, UCH, Professor Adeniyi Adenipekun, who represented the CMD, UCH, Professor Jesse Otegbayo, said move by the UIAA to ameliorate the situation of cancer disease in the country is very timely and that the management of UCH is in full support of what the alumni is doing.

He said the effort would help in offering early detention and treatment of cancer as against the patients coming to the hospital when the disease is almost at 70 to 80 per cent stage when treatment is almost impossible due to lack of oncological and diagnostics centres in the country, adding that the issue of getting experts for diagnosis would not be problem as UCH is ready to partner with colleagues in the diaspora for adequate treatments.