Funmi Ogundare
MeCure Healthcare Limited has unveiled its first ever cyclotron and PET-CT scan, a device that produces tracers and other radiopharmaceutical reagents which can be used to detect the physiological activities of cancer cells in the body.
Speaking at the unveiling of the radiopharmaceutical, held recently, in Lagos, the Chairman of the organisation, Sir Samir Udani, noted that cyclotron, the first in West Africa, will help to reverse medical tourism and reduce the stress and cost of cancer care in Nigeria.
He expressed excitement about the device, saying that before now, it was difficult to access.
According to him, “The arrival of the cyclotron will reverse medical tourism and reduce the stress and cost of cancer care in the country. Hence, it is good news for the entire oncology patients, Nigeria and West Africa.”
The acting Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Monica Eimunjeze, who unveiled the project, said it will ensure targeted interventions, early detection and better management of patients who have cancer, adding that the costs are cheaper in the country than buying a ticket to travel abroad for the treatment.
“To a large extent, it is affordable and accessible and when you look at the financial implications as an individual,” she stated.
She expressed delight about the partnership with Mecure, saying that respite will come to patients who have the disease in Nigeria.
“It could be me, a family member or a friend that would use the facility. With the device, Mecure will be able to provide advance care diagnostics to support Oncology.
The DG described the unveiling as an achievement and highly commendable, saying that as a regulatory agency, the provision of facilities that meet the needs of patients is very critical.
“With our regulatory responsibility, we will continue to work with Mecure and others to ensure that we provide what is needed for the public. Oncology or cancer is something that many people do not usually talk about, but it is something that we all need to address very frontally and this facility has the capacity to determine therapies that will impact positively and ensure that patients have the best medical care supported by the most advanced technology that they need,” she stressed.
