In a country where the health system is in silent turmoil, Nigeria is witnessing a steady increase in the incidence of cancer, one of the deadliest diseases encountered by modern medicine. Some figures show that 100,000 thousand Nigerians are developing cancer cells yearly, while about two million are currently battling with its terminal effects.
To be sure, cancer is a global problem. Statistics from the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) show that it accounts for more deaths worldwide than malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. But while the modern world is funding cancer programmes and initiatives aggressively, little is being done in this part of the world, as the scourge has continued to kill Nigerians.
However, a shining example of cancer advocacy in Nigeria is MicCom Cancer Foundation, initiated by the founder of MicCom Cables and Wires, Prince Tunde Ponnle, in memory of his wife who died of cancer in 2012. The Foundation is designed to help cancer victims.
For decades, Ponnle and his wife were partners. They helped the poor, contributed to education and were active in church development. But on October 29, 2012, death parted them. Olufunke, an engineer and princess, left Tunde, also an engineer, to face the challenges of life alone, no thanks to endometrial cancer. Ponnle, who also owns the famed Golf course of Ada, Osun State, has had to live painfully in the last three years without a woman who contributed to making him what he is. However, the good news is that Mrs. Ponnle’s death made her husband to learn more about cancer. He has realised that cancer kills more people worldwide, but when detected early, cancer could be beaten.
He equally discovered that the prevalence rate of cancer was on the increase among Nigerians. Worse still, he got to know that 10 people die from cancer every hour and yet only a few African countries were sufficiently funding cancer control programmes.
It also became known to him that no fewer than 80,000 Nigerians die from various types of cancer annually and this may increase, given the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) projection that about 84 million people may die worldwide as a result of one form of cancer or the other in 2015.
These discoveries made Ponnle to consult with his children and the result is the MicCom Cancer Foundation (MCCF). The Ibokun Road, Ada, Osun State-based foundation is out to help women fight breast cancer and also help men who may have prostate cancer. The foundation chose these two types of cancer because statistics show that they are the most prevalent among Nigerians.
The centre has solid professionals, either as technical experts or full-time members of staff. One of the technical experts behind it is Professor A. Akinsola, a Professor of Internal Medicine and Consultant Nephrologist at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, who has wide based skills and capacity in programme coordination and administration.
Also supporting the centre technically are Dr. K.T. Ijadunola, an Associate Professor/Consultant Public Health Physician at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Dr. A.A Salako, an Associate Professor/Consultant Urologist at the ObafemiAwolowo University, Ile-Ife; Dr. K.O Ajenifuja, Senior Lecturer/Consultant Obstetrics and Gynecologist at the ObafemiAwolowo University, Ile-Ife and Dr. O.A. Esimai, an Associate Professor/Consultant Public Health Physician ObafemiAwolowo University, Ile-Ife.
The foundation runs a cancer preventive and treatment centre at its secretariat. “The data being generated will also be made available to the concerned government parastatals either for evaluation and/or research purpose. The programme managers assisted by assistant programme manager and programmes assistant provide services. The foundation links up with secondary and tertiary health institutions in identified target communities in Nigeria (the OAUTHC Ile-Ife at inception) to facilitate access to management and quality care of patients with established lesions,” the centre said.
The foundation also notes that it would continually mount advocacy and awareness campaign in Osun State, the neigbouring states and ultimately throughout the country. “This will be done through various media – radio and television, print-media and visits to community leaders. This has commenced in earnest in the first month of the Foundation’ operation through visits to tradition rulers of the six communities identified namely Ada, Ororuwo, Iragbiji, Aagba, Iree, and Eripa.
But how will the centre be sustained? It explains: “MCCF said it would invest in partnership and institution capacity building, while also supporting an environment that can support continued research and academic affiliation that will enable the foundation continue to generate the needed evidence for policy development and review for cancer prevention and management in the country.
The foundation said it will campaign against predisposing lifestyle practices that have been linked to cancer such as: smoking, excessive alcohol intake, exposure to carcinogenic product, multiple sexual partners, early exposure to sex and unprotected sexual intercourse are to be emphasized. It will also champion the need for regular medical checkups, monthly self-breast examination, need for healthy diet, regular exercise, prevention of obesity.
Recently, there was excitement as ace physician, Dr. Doris Kyeremateng, joined the Foundation’s board. She first associated with the foundation when she donated a mammogram machine to it. The machine will soon be put to work after it is shipped into the country and installed at its Ada, Osun State centre. A radiologist is to be engaged from Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH) to join the technical experts.
Dr.Kyeremateng, a Ghanaian, based in Canada, was in 2006 installed as the President of the Manitoba College of Family Physicians. As President, Dr. Kyeremateng represented the province of Manitoba on the board of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).
She migrated to Canada in 1995 and has been practicing in Winnipeg. She owns and runs the Autumnwood Medical Center in Windsor Park in Winnipeg. She obtained her MD at the University of Bergen, Norway in 1992 where she practiced as a General Practitioner until 1995, when she moved to Winnipeg with her family. With Dr. Kyeremateng joining the board, there is excitement that its work is about to move into the next level.
By: Martins Ifijeh
This Day News
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