The Kano State multi-billion naira world-class cancer treatment centre will commence operation by mid-2021 with the capacity to treat between 60 to 100 patients daily.
The centre, when completed, will have the highest capacity to treat cancer patients per day in Nigeria. The development was disclosed to newsmen during a tour of the project in Kano state northwestern Nigeria.
Mr Mario Stella, the Programme Manager of TEAM Nigeria Company Limited, a consulting firm for BICO Nigeria Limited handling the project said the redesigned project which is at 50 percent would be completed and ready for commissioning by June or July 2021.
“The project, planned to take off earlier, had been delayed due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in the state and the further redesigning of the project, which now includes creating a third floor with additional compartments, pedestrian bridge, more electrical and mechanical works.
“The redesigning of the project has increased the cost from the initial N2.3 billion to over N5 billion,” Mr Stella said.
The Executive Secretary, Kano State Health Trust Fund, Dr Nura Idris, who represented the state Commissioner for health, said the centre alongside a testing laboratory, will be equipped with Halcyon, True Beam and Brachy radiotherapy machines for the treatment of all kind of cancer in the human body.
“The Halcyon and True Beam, which are external beam radiotherapy machines, are used to kill the cells of the tumour, making it flatten gradually.
“The Brachy is used to emit its radiation internally without beam to treat cancer by killing the cells of the tumour internally,” Dr Idris said.
Dr Idris said the cutting edge technology-based Cancer centre with the capacity to treat between 60 to 100 patients per day, is the only one owned by a state government in Nigeria as the other three conventional cancer treatment centres in the country owned by the Federal Government only have the capacities to treat between 10 to 15 patients per day.
“Currently, Doctors and Nurses are being trained on how to manage the centre. The centre will also be open to treat cancer patients from neighbouring states as well as patients from other African countries.” Dr Idris said.
According to data, Nigeria recorded cancer burden cases of over 115,000 in 2018 with over 70,000 deaths, representing more than 60 percent of the cases. This, along with other scary statistics from previous years, has put governments and individual on their toes in the fight against the dreaded disease.
Kano being the most populous state in Nigeria has chosen to be at the forefront of the fight by building a world-class cancer centre, modelled after the renowned Melbourne Cancer Center in Australia, after a visit by Kano State Governor Dr Umar Ganduje.
