LUTH New Cancer Centre Becomes Operational May 1

The newly commissioned multi-billion naira Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH Cancer Centre will officially open its doors to patients on May 1.

The Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Professor Chris Bode disclosed this and said the ongoing calibrations and fine-tuning of its ultra-modern equipment to ensure compliance with international standards delayed the centre from becoming fully operational.

He stated that the requisite personnel to offer care at the centre were currently undergoing conversion training in readiness for the smooth take-off of services at the centre.

The new centre, commissioned in February by President Muhammadu Buhari, was established as a joint venture partnership between the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and the LUTH to address the lack of adequate and comprehensive cancer treatment and management in the country.

The centre, a sprawling edifice covering over 1,500 square metres, had already installed two of its three linear accelerators. It is equipped with a robust Treatment Planning System and a Brachytherapy machine to treat cervical and prostate cancers.

In addition, the chemotherapy suite can accommodate up to 15 patients at any time.

The LUTH facility has been described as the best cancer centre in West Africa and when fully operational, will handle more than 300 patients per day.

A 10-year service maintenance contract is built into the purchase agreement to enable the centre give at least a full decade of uninterrupted service.