UBTH Cancer Center Now Operational at Full Capacity, Says CMD

The University of Benin Teaching Hospital Cancer Treatment Centre is now fully operational and functioning at 100 percent capacity, according to the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Professor Idia Ize-Iyamu.

The facility, which is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, has emerged as the number one cancer treatment centre in the South-South geopolitical zone.

Professor Ize-Iyamu made the disclosure on Monday in Benin during the commissioning of a new state-of-the-art ambulance donated by the Federal Government to strengthen emergency medical response at the hospital.

She described the ambulance as a “mobile theatre” that would enable medical personnel to provide critical interventions while evacuating accident and trauma victims.

The cancer centre is equipped with a Linear Accelerator machine and a 16-slice CT scanner, which are used to simulate patients’ lesions before targeted radiotherapy treatment.

“We have a Linear accelerated machine; we have a 16-slice CT where we simulate the patient’s lesion before the targeted lesions are done using radiotherapy. That machine is the latest in technology in the world,” the CMD said.

Professor Ize-Iyamu noted that the centre is one of three major cancer treatment facilities of its kind in Nigeria.

She also highlighted the impact of the Federal Government’s Cancer Health Fund, which is making treatment more accessible to indigent patients.

“If you are poor, you can receive radiotherapy at UBTH through the Federal Government’s Cancer Health Fund and Social Welfare under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope health agenda,” she stated.

The CMD expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Edo State Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa for their support in establishing the centre . Idahosa, who presented the ambulance on behalf of the Federal Government, said he attracted the project to UBTH while serving as a member of the House of Representatives.

Professor Ize-Iyamu noted that the oncology centre has significantly boosted UBTH’s capacity to provide comprehensive cancer care and has become a major reference point for cancer treatment in the region.

She, however, appealed for greater investment in the hospital’s infrastructure, noting that the more than 50-year-old tertiary institution requires substantial renewal and replacement of ageing facilities.