The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and other stakeholders in the Nigerian healthcare system on Wednesday harped on the imperative of collaboration among all agencies and organisations in the current drive to mitigate the increasing spread of cancer in the country.
Sharing their views on the surging cancer infections in Nigeria and globally at the MedServe Summit 2.0 organized in Abuja with the theme “Enhancing the Oncology Workforce in Nigeria”, the stakeholders specifically canvassed leveraging medical infrastructure investments, training programmes and other initiatives to unlock access to world class oncology care in Nigeria.
Speaking at the forum organized by MedServe, a wholly owned healthcare subsidiary of the NSIA in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), the NSIA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer NSIA Mr Aminu Umar-Sadiq, said that “an equipped workforce, relevant training programmes and strategic collaborations, can ensure positive outcomes for people living with cancer in Nigeria.
The investment expert, who was represented by the Authority’s Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer N, Mr Kolawole Owodunni, assured that MedServe remained committed to leveraging medical infrastructure investments, trainings programmes and pivotal collaborations to unlock access to world class oncology care in Nigeria.”
In his paper delivered at the event, Vice President Global Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre and Keynote speaker, Dr. Bob Li, called attention to the importance of collaborations, sustained clinical trials and leapfrog technologies to expand possibilities in oncology care.
This is even as the Managing Director of MedServe, Dr. Tolulope Adewole, maintained that “strengthening Nigeria’s oncology workforce ensures faster diagnoses, advanced treatments, and improved patient outcomes, transforming the cancer care landscape for a healthier future. At MedServe, our focus is to ensure equitable access to high quality oncology care for all Nigerians.”
To demonstrate its ongoing focus on improving healthcare outcomes in oncology, NSIA, through MedServe set up the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre (NLCC) in 2019, and the Centre has so far attended to over 11,000 people and expanded possibilities for Nigerians living with cancer.
Additionally, MedServe also runs the NSIA – Kano Diagnostic Centre (NKDC) and the NSIA -Umuahia Diagnostic Centre (NUDC) co-located in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and the Federal Medical Centre Umuahia respectively.
Following the success of these demonstration projects and to further deepen access to healthcare, MedServe has rolled out its healthcare expansion programme through which it aims to establish 3 additional oncology centres, 7 catheterization laboratories and 23 diagnostic centres across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
Through these investments and manpower development strategies, MedServe continues to take bold strides in the fight against cancer to create a healthier future
The Summit, which had as Chairman the Coordinating Minister of Health & Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, was organized to explore possibilities to bridge the manpower gaps in the oncology practice, optimize outcomes for people living with cancer and ultimately shape the future of cancer care in Nigeria.
The key objectives of the Summit include expanding residency training in Oncology, establishing post graduate degree on Oncology Pharmacy and advocating for federal recognition of Medical Physics and Therapy Radiography among others.
Photo Caption
L-R: MD/CEO MedServe, Dr Tolulope Adewole; Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer NSIA, Ms Ijeoma Taylaur; Coordinating Minister of Health & Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Executive Director & Chief Investment Officer NSIA, Kolawole Owodunni; and Chairman, House Committee on Health, Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Amos Magaji; at the second edition of the Oncology Summit 2.0 with the theme ‘Enhancing the Oncology Workforce in Nigeria’ held on Wednesday in Abuja
