Federal Govt Partners Stepcho On Closing Cancer Care Gap

As part of efforts to bridge cancer care gap in the country, the federal government has commissioned Brachytherapy Machines in five Federal Teaching Hospitals across the country.

Brachytherapy machine is widely used in the treatment of cancer.

The benefiting hospitals include the National Hospital Abuja, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) Benin, University Teaching Hospital (UCH) Ibadan and Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Zaria.

The minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, launched the machines at a press briefing in commemoration of World Cancer Day, themed: “Closing the Cancer Care Gap” in Abuja.

Presentative of the company that supplied the machines, Stepcho Nig Ltd, Benjamin Ubiri, said brachytherapy machine is a form of radiation therapy where a sealed radiation source is placed inside or next to the area requiring treatment.

He said brachytherapy is commonly used as an effective treatment for cervical, prostate, breast and skin cancer and can also be used to treat tumors in many other body sites.

According to him, treatment results have demonstrated that the cancer-cure rates of brachytherapy are either comparable to surgery and external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) or are improved when used in combination with these techniques.

“Brachytherapy can be used alone or in combination with other therapies such as surgery, EBRT and chemotherapy,” he explained.