The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to take immediate steps to establish more radiology centers and provide the latest accelerator machines in General Hospitals across the country.
The House mandated the Committee on Appropriations to include the cost of establishing Radiology Centres and providing modern accelerator machines in General Hospitals in the 2020 budget estimates and also mandated the Committee on Health Institutions to ensure compliance.
These resolutions were made during plenary on Thursday, following a motion to Establish more Radiology Centres and Provide Linear Acceleration Machines in General Hospitals Across the Country sponsored by Dachung Bagos.
Bagos said, the House, “notes with concern the poor level of service delivery and inefficiency prevalent in government hospitals and the health sector generally as a result of poor funding and inadequate facilities and personnel in health institutions across the country.
“Also notes that cancer is a deadly disease and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), there was an estimated 116,000 new cases while 41,000 cancer related deaths were recorded in Nigeria in 2018 alone.
“Aware that in spite the increasing number of cancer patients in Nigeria, there exists only about seven (7) radiotherapy machines in the country, five of which are faulty and non-functional whereas the United Kingdom has Fifty-Two (52) machines, and America has over two thousand five hundred (2500) machines for human beings and at least sixty-five (65) for animal therapy.
“Also aware that radiotherapy is used to treat cancer, either alone or in combination with other systematic therapies or surgery and to palliate severe symptoms in patients with incurable diseases.
“Further aware that radiotherapy is a vital component of cancer care which gives patients a chance of survival where there had, hitherto been little or no hope, especially in cases where treatment options are limited.
“Cognizant that establishment of more radiotherapy centres and the provision of the latest linear accelerator machines in General Hospitals across the country would be a huge source of generating revenue and income for the Federal Government through the reduction of medical tourism abroad by Nigerians.
“Also cognizant that unless drastic steps are taken to establish more Radiology centres and provide the latest linear accelerator machines in General Hospitals across the country, mortality rate will continue to rise”.
James Kwen, Abuja
