Lions Clubs International District 404B1, Nigeria, has made a N2 million donation to the Lagos University Hospital’s Paediatric Ward as part of its support to create awareness of cancer among children and help needy parents for treatment.
The money, which was donated on Friday, would be channelled towards treating children living with cancer.
NATIONAL ECONOMY reports that the donation is part of a larger cancer awareness initiative earlier announced by the Club’s District governor, Kema Ashibuogwu.
The club, who was worried about rising cases of cancer among children earlier in the year, disclosed plans to spend about N200 million to provide asset treatment support to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital(LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos.
Ashibuogwu, while outlining her priority projects, identified childhood cancer as a menace that, if not tackled, would create a devastating health issue among the growing children population.
Ashibugwu regretted that, despite rising cases of the disease among the children, only LUTH has a dedicated ward facility in Nigeria where children with cancer are treated.
Ashibuogwu, while speaking at a media conference in Lagos on Friday, expressed deep worries that despite the threat from spread of cancer among children, little is being done to create the necessary awareness and to develop a policy initiative that will provide support specifically to families that have to contend with the challenges.
According to her, poor parents have to cough out as much as N350,000 to carry out diagnosis in South Africa before returning to start treatment at huge cost at LUTH.
The district governor regretted that Nigeria cannot boast of a single Flow Cytometer, (Cancer Detection Machine) that sells for about N64 million or even a Chemotherapy chair of N4 million.
Having identified these challenges and how children die due to absence of treatment facilities, the Club has decided to build a caregiver home at the cost of N100million at LUTH.
In addition, she said, the Club is sourcing for funds to procure a Flow Cytomer and Chemotherapy chair to support cancer treatment in the country.
She called on organisations and philanthropists to support the life saving initiative as she cried out that many children have died of cancer while the society is not fully aware that children suffer cancer at young age.
