FGN establishes UMTH cancer centers to reduce medical tourism
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mahmuda Mamman, has said that the newly built cancer centre at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno State, would end medical tourism in Nigeria when completed.
He said UMTH is leading the revolution of the nation’s health sector being undertaken by the present administration with the state of the art facilities at the hospital’s disposal such as the trauma centre, new cancer and kidney centres as well as available manpower which are changing the face of health service delivery in Borno and the Northeast subregion.
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Mamman who noted that UMTH is one of the very few teaching hospitals that have adequate and modern medical facilities in the country said in terms of cancer treatment, the UMTH is ready to assist cancer patients not only from the Northeast subregion but across the country.
Mamman stated this on Wednesday in Maiduguri when he led other officials of the ministry on an inspection tour to the teaching hospital on projects/programmes, special interventions and COVID-19 released funds’ performance from 2020 to 2021.
“The UMTH cancer centre is one of the best. It is coming up as a new centre that is beating the trend of those that are already existing in the country.
Along with the kidney centre, when they are finally completed and put into use, they will reduce medical tourism by Nigerians to other countries.
“When we have Nigerians going abroad meeting Nigerians treating them abroad, why can’t they stay here in Nigeria and treat Nigerians,” Mamman stated.
In his remarks, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, said the cancer centre has gulped over five billion nairas and when completed, it will be the biggest cancer centre in sub-Saharan Africa.
The CMD also revealed that the hospital has already begun research into kidney disease just as the hospital is into research on other fields of medicine and health care.
“So far, we have spent over N5 billion naira to build the cancer centre and the cancer treatment facilities.
“The biggest cancer centre in Nigeria as of today is the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, it was built at twelve billion nairas but the one we are building will be the biggest and it will be able to treat cancer patients from every part of the world.
“We have also invested fifty million nairas donated by the state government as a research grant to the hospital to enable us to conduct research in kidney diseases that are prevalent in the Northeast,” Ahmed Ahidjo added.
