Indian specialists arrive Anambra, Rivers to battle cancer

The Country Representative of an Indian based hospital, Ruby Hall Clinic, Mr. Emereole Cyril has said that the clinic is set to partner Anambra and Rivers State government in provision of the state-of-the art health facilities and in treatment of cancer and cancer-related ailments.

Emereole, who is also the CEO of Cidomick Integrated Services limited based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, disclosed this in Onitsha, Anambra State during a one day cancer sensitization programme that was organized by John Okafor Cancer foundation (JOCAF) in partnership with the Anambra state government.

He further stated that Ruby Hall, which he said encourages charity, gives ten percent discount from cancer patients that comes from any of their recognized partners in Nigeria with the aim of making their medical facilities accessible and affordable to Nigerians and Africa.

This is coming as the founder of JOCAF, Mr. John Okafor, in his address said his foundation is a humanitarian and an NGO that was established to help in the fight against cancer and its treatment for the down trodden and less privileged in the society.

Okafor noted that  “any Nigerian patient who is diagnosed of cancer and needs to be taken abroad for treatment should come to JOCAF foundation to make the journey to Ruby Hall Clinic in India easier and cheaper when compared with other hospitals abroad.

He pointed out that the foundation is making frantic effort to establish cancer office in all the 36 states of the federation including FCT, Abuja but quickly added that resources is a major challenge to the foundation’s dreams and mission.

While delivering a lecture on the topic: “Cancer, Causes and treatment Options” the Anambra State Commissioner for Healthy, Dr. Joe Akabuike said that cancer which he described as abnormal growth is caused by a virus called Human Papiloma virus (HPV), adding that low diet in fruits and vegetable, cigarette smoking, poor genital hygiene and first pregnancy in teenage are the risk factors of cancer ailment.

He also informed that cancer of the breast and cervix is more common among Nigerian women and that of prostate cancer among men of 40 years and above.

Akabuike also said that getting back to natural diet, practicing safe sex, limiting the number of sexual partners and avoiding cigarette smoking can help prevent cancer in our environment.

Highpoint of the sensitization programme include lectures from a Pharmacist and Psychologist Muoghalu Peter and another from Dietician Ngozi Okolo as well as testimonies from beneficiaries of John Okafor cancer Foundation.

Participants, Ijeoma Okolo, Mma Okoye and Raphael Egwuatu commended JOCAF and Anambra State government for the sensitization programme but urged that it should be extended to rural communities in the State.