One week after LEADERSHIP reported the failure of the only CT simulation machine at the National Hospital, Abuja, which has not been functioning since January, the management of the hospital is yet to fix the very important cancer treatment machine.
To this end, cancer patients referred to the National Hospital, Abuja, from different parts of the country, especially from Northern Nigeria, have been stranded for four months following the breakdown of the CT simulation machine in the hospital.
LEADERSHIP gathered that patients, who have received or are receiving additional courses of chemotherapy using I.V doxorubicin 90mg, V.I Cyclophosphamide 920mg and I.V docetaxel 120mg, are presently in a fix as the CT simulation machine has not been working since January 2022.
Some of the patients are supposed to undergo External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) which is the most commonly used form of radiation oncology treatment and uses high-dose radiation to destroy cancerous cells or shrink tumours.
LEADERSHIP gathered that during an EBRT procedure, a machine directs external beams of radiation into cancerous areas in the body with extreme precision.
Medical experts say if ‘chemo’ treatment is completed in the patient’s body without further treatment using the CT simulator, it could lead to a repeat of the chemotherapy treatment that will further drain the strength of the patient and may lead to fatality.
CT simulators imaging data provide a complete 3-D view of the patient’s anatomy, allowing for more accurate delineation of the tumour and the surrounding normal tissues, and helping to determine the exact location, shape and size of the tumour to be treated.
Under normal circumstances, the CT appointment takes one hour, but patients at the National Hospital, Abuja, have spent four months waiting while others have had to relocate to Calabar, Enugu or Lagos for such treatment as a result of the malfunctioning of the machine at the National Hospital, Abuja, which may put the lives of awaiting patients in danger.
During a visit to the National Hospital yesterday, it was revealed that patients had been coming, especially from the Northern parts of the country, to the hospital since January but have not been treated as a result of the breakdown of the machine.
LEADERSHIP had reported that patients who had paid for the CT simulation service were asking for a refund while others were being advised to move to Lagos, Enugu or Calabar in Cross River State.
Even though the public relations officer (PRO) of the National Hospital, Dr Tayo Haastrup, had earlier expressed shock at the development and promised to draw the attention of the chief medical director (CMD) of the hospital, Dr Jafaru Momoh, to the situation, a video clip from a government television station went viral, with their reporter suggesting all cancer machines were working at the hospital.
When LEADERSHIP visited the radiotherapy centre of the National Hospital, Abuja, where cancer patients are being treated, as of 11:16am yesterday, the CT machine was still not working.
Our reporter, who interacted with patients receiving different kinds of cancer treatment, discovered that the CT simulation machine had not been functioning since January.
At the room where the CT machine is mounted, an engineer was seen working on a machine with a screen displaying CT.
An oncologist who spoke with LEADERSHIP after a discussion with the engineer working on the machine said the machine was not working.
The oncologist had asked the engineer whether the machine was working only to be told in the presence of this reporter that it was yet to start working.
The oncologist also told the engineer that he had cancer patients that were billed to undergo treatment using the CT machine but that he would tell them not to come.
The engineer wore a shirt and a pair of trousers while the oncologist wore the blue medical overall cloth with an inscription, oncologist, written beside his chest.
When LEADERSHIP contacted one of the patients who was referred from ABU Teaching Hospital, Zaria, in January for the treatment in Abuja, she said doctors advised her to quickly move to Enugu for the treatment.
According to Nancy Waje, her doctors said her life was at risk if she kept waiting on National Hospital, Abuja, for the CT simulation service to commence.
“I am getting better; I am in Enugu now. Yes, I went for the treatment in Enugu. Since the treatment did not work in Abuja since January, I was advised to go to the teaching hospital, Enugu. I am there now,” Nancy said.
“They are attending to me. The doctors at the National Assembly, Abuja, advised me to go to Enugu. (They said) that the delay can cause harm to my body. They said that even people who paid for the treatment at the National Hospital since January, are looking at ways to refund the money to those who want to go to other places.
“I travelled to Enugu at the weekend and they are attending to me here,” Nancy said.
When LEADERSHIP contacted the public relations officer (PRO) of the National Hospital concerning a video that went viral suggesting the cancer treatment machines were all working, which is at variance with what is on the ground, Dr Tayo Haastrup replied: “Please, go and write what you want to write, you understand; go and write whatever you like. We have said that, do what you want to do; I am not interested in this matter. Okay!”
Meanwhile, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called on the minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, to look into the condition of cancer treatment machines at the National Hospital.
The CSOs who spoke to LEADERSHIP are Transparency International (TI), Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC).
Speaking through their leader, Awwal Musa Rafsanjani, the CSOs said impunity is beginning to take over the health sector.
“First and foremost, we are calling the minister of health to investigate the National Hospital with a view to ensuring that all the machines, especially the cancer treatment machines, are working,” Rafsanjani said.
“The irresponsible behaviour of some officials at the National Hospital is causing hardship to the patients, especially those with serious underlying ailments.
“The minister should also ensure that the facilities are now functioning better than before,” he said, asking the minister to ensure that all officers that are not doing their work well are shown the way out.
