The Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, has said that the hospital plans to add nuclear medicine to its facility next year.
Speaking at the 10th Nigeria Healthcare Excellence Awards (NHEA) held in Lagos at the weekend, where the teaching hospital emerged the most outstanding Oncology Centre in Nigeria, Prof. Adeyemo said that the plan was in fulfilment of the vision of the Nigerian Government to make a success of its public-private partnership initiative.
He explained that Nuclear medicine is a specialised area of cancer treatment that uses multi-disciplinary medical imaging for diagnosis and treatments.
Prof Adeyemo added that when the plan comes to fruition, the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre will be equipped to track the progress of treatments in patients with tools such as PET scan, SPECT scan, cyclotron, and radio-pharmacy.
“Cancer management starts with diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring. You cannot have comprehensive care without these processes. We need to complement the success that we have here with nuclear medicine which will be ready in the next 14 months,” said Adeyemo.
Speaking on the award, he said that it was a recognition of the efforts to make the LUTH Cancer Centre the best and most impactful cancer care facility in West Africa.
The centre was commissioned in 2019 as the largest management facility by equipment, skillsets, and faculty, riding on a PPP model that has sustained efficiency.
According to him, the centre has treated more than 10,064 patients, including 8,528 radiotherapies, 6,733 chemotherapies, and 215 high-dose rate 3D brachytherapy treatments over the past five years, restoring confidence in an industry that was previously incapacitated to save thousands of Nigerians from cancer scare.
The 2024 NHEA attracted 26,000 nominations across all categories, where three health journalists also emerged as winners of the Prevent Epidemics Journalism Award, a special award category of the Excellence Awards.
Over 30 awards and recognitions were presented at the award ceremony where LUTH was recognised for its pioneering role in modern cancer care and treatment in the past five years.
The NHEA recognizes individuals and organizations that have made exceptional contributions to the Nigerian healthcare sector over the past year.
The awards also highlight the healthcare sector’s growth, the role of technology and the ability of individuals and organizations to set new standards.
GIK/APA
Nigeria’s teaching hospital LUTH to introduce nuclear medicine next year
