The Saudi Garman Hospital, Dubai, is set to partner with the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in Nigeria to train doctors on cancer treatment and as well attend to about 200 cancer patients. Addressing journalists in Abuja, the hospitals’ Business Development Executive, Philip Veliyath, said they are setting up a medical camp to enable them carry out cancer screening and treat some of the cases as most of them can actually be treated locally without necessarily travelling abroad.

“Our plans for Nigeria this year is to continue with the medical camp like year. The aim of the medical camp is to be able to attend to and treat most of the cancer cases because some patients can be treated here in Nigeria without travelling abroad. 60-70 per cent of the cases can be treated locally.

“We will be working with the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) for training of doctors. The medical camp will be starting in the beginning of May 2018 and will be more focusing on cancer cases. The camp is going to last for three days and we will be attending to 80-200 patients,” he stated.

According to him, the hospital has all the required facilities for cancer treatment which has given it an edge, adding that it has a scan that helps it detect where the cancer is in the body instead of treating the whole body.

The hospital management had in 2015 said it was establishing at least, two hospitals in Nigeria, as well as partnering with Nigerian medical colleges towards addressing the dire health needs of Nigerians and limiting medical tourism.

According to them, the huge number of patients the hospital receives from Nigeria showed the gravity of the health needs of the people which has informed their decision to establish two hospitals in the country. Speaking on challenges, Veliyath said one of the major challenges of cancer cases in Nigeria is late diagnosis of disease while encouraging regular screening.

Source: Leadership