Osun Govt Kickstarts Scheme to Stem Scourge of Cancer with German Oncologists

By Abdulrofiu Agboola
A team of German oncologists who came for a three-day visit to Osun State on cancer management and training of Primary Health Care workers on early detection and awareness of cancer has promised to collaborate with the state government to stem the scourge of the deadly disease in the state.

The German oncologists, who commended Governor Rauf Aregbesola for showing serious concern and tackling the cancer disease headlong, said that they were ready to support the state government on capacity building for the medical personnel at the PHCs on early detection, awareness and treatment of cancer patients.

L-R:Hon. Leke Ogunsola, Chairman, House Committee on Health, Prof Mrs Ridwelshi Kasten, Prof Lippert Hans, Prof Slefoune Wolff and Dr Tiamiyu Bello.

Stating that the level of cancer awareness in the state was low, the German oncologists led by Professor Hans Lippert said there is need for improvement on the cancer awareness programmes in the state.

The oncologists from the Institute for Operative Medicine of the Otto-yon Guericke-University, Germany stated this at a press conference to round off their three day visit, on Friday in Osogbo.

They also promised to facilitate a relationship between cancer control centers in Germany and the Osun state government to further improve the control and prevention of the scourge in the state and Nigeria as a whole.

Lippert and a member of the team Professor Slefoune Wolff said their assessment during the three days health facilities across the state showed some gap between available data on cancer and the facilities to take care of the scourge.

Medical personnel at the General Hospital, Iwo at the programme on Monday.

The team had visited and inspected facilities at the general hospitals in Iwo, Ilesa and Osogbo where they interacted with patients and obtained data on cancer.

According to the oncologists, they would be offering telemedicine to the state government to enhance the capacity of the 30 trained PHC workers on cancer across the state.

In his comment, a the Vice Chairman House committee on Health Hon(Dr) Olaolu Oyeniran who is a gynecologist , admitted the state was short of the required facilities necessary in the fight against cancer.

Oyeniran stated that the renewed commitment of Aregbesola’s administration to fight cancer to a standstill in the state spurred the government to facilitate the three day training and assessment tour by the German oncologists.

He maintained that the PHC is the critical in early cancer detection , hence the need for the state government to trained medical personnel at the primary level on early cancer detection, awareness and proper referral of patients.

The Lawmaker said all cancer related treatment at both private and public hospital would now be proper documented for data collation and cancer management in the State .

Speaking on the visit, a former Special Adviser to Aregbesola on Health Matters, Dr Rafiu Isamotu commended the governor for tackling cancer headlong in the state by inviting German oncologists to train medical personnel in the state.

Isamotu described the three-day visit of the German oncologist and fruitful, beneficial and supportive to the ‘promotion of healthy living, which is part of Aregbesola’s Six Integral Action Plan.