By Chiamaka Ozulumba
The Marcelle Ruth Cancer Centre has launched a state of the art specialist hospital in Lagos as part of efforts to tackle the growing cases of cancer in the state.
Speaking during the launch of the facility in Lagos last week, the CEO and co-Founder, Marcelle Ruth Cancer Centre, Dr Modupe Elebute Odunsi said the facility was a comprehensive one-stop shop where every issue relating to cancer, including diagnosis can be addressed.
She said: “The centre has an array of highly skilled medical professionals across the globe under one roof, equipped with ultramodern infrastructure and technology for cancer care in Nigeria, dubbed ‘Why go abroad service’.
“It is equipped with a state-of-the-art radiotherapy centre kitted with linear accelerator and brachytherapy, modern laboratory services, two operating theaters, an eight-bed chemotherapy suite, 15 private ensuite in patient rooms, pharmacy and councelling service.
“The MRCC is a private investment tailored intentionally to capture a significant percentage of cancer medical tourist patient and to be a reference point for research, data analysis and a training institute for key players and stakeholders for not just Nigerians but Sub-Saharan Africa.’
The centre boasts of a high tech cancer screening clinics, on-site radiotherapy service with state-of-the-art equipment, multi-disciplinary clinical service by world-renowned specialists, robust IT systems to ensure safe delivery of treatment at all times, on-site chemotherapy service delivered in comfortable ‘pods’ and high-tech diagnostic imaging and pathology service.
According to her, there was a huge gap in care for cancer patients in Nigeria, adding that diagnostics and radiotherapy treatment were a big concern.
“Ideally, there should be one radiotherapy machine per a 100,000 population but in Nigeria there are about 10 with about 3-4 working at this current time and that’s where MRCC would bridge the gap”.
“I have partnered with renowned personnel in the medical field in the US and UK, some of whom would be here full-time and some of whom would be working with us in what we call a ‘tumour board’ which we can do virtually”.
According to the former Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, the facility came at a time of shortage of centres that deal with cancers.
“This is another example of the private sector partnering with the government to provide support.
“MRCC has all the medical resources that people go abroad to get. There is more to come as the health sector is changing with other private facilities springing and we are going to covered by the Health Insurance Scheme to which will be better for the poor people to even afford,” he said
