Nation
Cancer Care: Expert Seeks Hospice In UPTH
As part of measures to tackle the growing menace of Cancer in the country, a medical expert and Head of Department of Palliative Care in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital(UPTH), Dr. Geraldine Ndukwu
has called for the establishment of a hospice to cater for indigent people who are battling with the disease.
She therefore tasked government and corporate bodies to support the department in improving and expanding palliative care, as a way to boost survival rate of cancer patients.
Dr. Ndukwu who spoke on the theme of the 2025 Palliative Day ,” Achieving the Promise :Universal Access to Palliative Care” said care and funding remain key to cancer survival.
Apart from being a human right, Dr. Ndukwu said many cancer patients do not have access to good care leading to high fatality in many hospitals.
She opined that palliative care helps improve survival rate of cancer patients, helping them make lifestyle changes that elongate their life.
Without good care, she explained that Cancer patients easily give up due to effects of drugs and high cost of treatment.
“Cancer is traumatizing to many families, but by the time patients are given palliative care, they feel happier and heal quickly”,Ndukwu said.
Besides the care, she decried poor manpower in the palliative care across the country, stressing the need for more manpower to boost health care.
“Many of what we have are just self voluntary. We need trained personnel, and that will boost expertise and care to people”, she added.
To achieve this, she stated that more funding and support is needed from both government and corporate bodies to boost care and manpower.
By Kevin Nengia