A former Minister of Health and member of the Lancet Commission on Oncology, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has said Nigeria needs more radiotherapy machines to improve access to cancer care in the country.
Adewole said this had become imperative for better treatment outcomes among cancer patients, lamenting that only two radiotherapy machines were working in the country.
The former minister spoke during a product presentation in Abuja by Stepcho Nigeria Limited in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Bebig Medical.
He said, “We will gain more as a country when we offer treatment to our people. Then they will develop trust in public health and we will give them confidence about getting quality care.
“Ideally, we need at least four machines for one million people to offer effective treatment. There shouldn’t be less than 200 machines working in Nigeria.
“We have only two machines working in Nigeria. So, there is room for 198 machines in Nigeria. The provision of these machines will prevent Nigerians from going out of the country to access care.”
Bebig’s sales directors, Hamidi Sabrina and Mohammadi Reza, said their new Bebig LINAC machine was designed to deliver cancer care services in the country.
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