COPE advocates for comprehensive cancer centre in Nigeria

A comprehensive cancer care centre is where experts carry out research, clinical trials, study the patterns, causes, and control of cancer in groups of people and provide services directly to cancer patients and also give cancer information to health care professionals and the public.
Unfortunately, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Care Organisation Public Enlightenment (COPE), Mrs. Ebunola Anozie, said Nigeria is yet to have one.

She noted that Nigeria is not a poor country, and urged the government to do more in cancer care and management in the country.She continued: “We are appealing to the Federal Government because we do not have a comprehensive cancer centre. Treatment of cancer should not be where we have a teaching hospital. It might be attached outside. It is not a situation where your treatment is delayed. It is where you have everything that would help you get the right treatment and assistant.”

However, the CEO said there is an increased awareness of cancer in Nigeria. “Every woman has to check her breast every month. I am very grateful that a lot of women are becoming more aware and people are coming out early for screening though some are still coming late,” she added.

At an event tagged Love Feast to mark a successful year for the organisation’s cancer survivors, Anozie said being a woman puts one at risk of breast cancer, having one’s first child after the age of 30 and getting older also predisposes one to cancer.

Anozie noted that COPE has been to a lot of places for screening and awareness with a lot of success stories. “Apart from that, we are trying to revamp our shop so that it will be easier for patients to have materials they need to make them feel comfortable after traumatic surgery and we also need a lot of sponsors to achieve this,” she said.The CEO added: “We look forward to next year. It is an avenue to reach out to members who are in dire need. We thank God for the sponsorship of Access bank because we would not have done this without them.”