Nostra Cancer Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation based in Lagos and founded by a Nasopharyngeal cancer survivor Mr. Frank Aja Ukpabi is set to break the ground of its recently acquired 6 plots of land in Epe, area of Lagos for its proposed holistic and up-to-date cancer treatment centre to help cancer patients in Nigeria beat cancer and have a second chance at life like its founder.
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos, the secretary of Nostra Cancer Foundation’s board of trustees, Dr. Ofonime Udoh, a nephrologist, said the cancer treatment centre that Nostra Cancer Foundation wants to build is the vision of its founder who had severe head pain from Dec 2005 to April 2006 which could not be diagnosed despite visiting several hospitals in Lagos including the two teaching hospitals and who may have passed on if not for God and MTN Nigeria which flew him to South Africa in April 2006 where his condition was diagnosed and treated.
She said even in 2017, cancer is still difficult to be diagnosed early and treated in Nigeria hence you see those that can afford it travel abroad for proper diagnosis and treatment while those who cannot most times die painful deaths here with some seeing it as an attack from their enemies. Ofonime said Nostra cancer foundation is here to bridge that gap by building a holistic and up to date cancer treatment centre that will meet international standards and cater for the needs of those that are down with cancer in Nigeria and parts of Africa where there are none.
Ofonime said the Cancer treatment centre will be a 50 bed Centre with wards for males, females, and children. It will be equipped with a state of the art laboratory; CT scan machines; MRI machines; mammograms; radiotherapy suites; chemotherapy suites; a well-stocked pharmacy along with consulting rooms and ancillary lounges all aimed at ensuring early and accurate diagnosis, treatment and post-treatment care of people with cancer in Nigeria.
The centre upon completion, according to her, will be manned by well experienced medical personnel with affiliation to cancer management, foreign and home-based
She calls on kind-hearted Nigerians, corporate bodies and even religious bodies who share this same dream of reducing the number of cancer-related deaths in Nigeria to join forces with Nostra Cancer Foundation to see that this Cancer Treatment centre becomes a reality as all hands are needed on the deck here with Cancer cases rising in Nigeria every day and a lot of people dying untimely and painful deaths.
The ground breaking ceremony takes place on the 24th of June by 1pm at the project site by Lagos state Model College Igbonla, Epe Lagos. The ceremony shall flag off the construction phase of this centre which shall save lives now and in the future. Those that cannot make it to the ground breaking event can visit our website at www.nostracancerfoundation.org and support this vision.
Cancer can happen to anyone which makes having a good and affordable cancer treatment centre in a place like Nigeria with close to 200 million people a necessity. (LIB)