Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri

The University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) has established a new 150-bed capacity stroke Centre and Cancer Treatment Centre in Maiduguri.

UMTH Chief Medical Director (CMD) Prof Ahmed Ahidjo, while laying the foundation of the two separate centres on Thursday in Maiduguri, said the facilities were designed and planned to be world-class stroke and cancer centres.

According to Prof Ahidjo, ‘the establishment of these centres is statistical. We did a need assessment of the whole of the hospital when I came on board. Proper study was done, an analysis was carried out and recommendations made. This was how we resolved to establish these centres and other facilities.’

He said the building of the cancer project, started in 2011, was stalled due to insufficient funds. He said the project was a very extensive one because of the facilities including bunkers, linear accelerators and huge civil works required to give the centre functionality.

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He also told journalists after the brief ceremony that manpower would not be a challenge to the effective operation of the two centres. He disclosed that the hospital already has two consultants on radiotherapy.

A professor of Neurology, Yakubu Nyandaiti, while giving a briefing on the stroke centre during the foundation laying ceremony, explained that the stroke centre could take 150 patients at a goal. He said the facility include interventional radiology, unit for aged persons, unit, neurology and radiotherapy units among others.

He said the centre’s main focus was to ensure no referral of strokes would be taken out without treatment and cure. He said the centre would also provide services to trauma patients.

The cancer treatment centre is proposed to have bunkers and linear accelerators. The centre would also have a radiotherapy unit to treat cancer patients at the early state and provide palliatives at an advanced stage.

There are only six cancer treatment centres in Nigeria, a country with a population of over 200 million. Medical experts say the number is grossly inadequate.