Building on the success of its inaugural oncology summit in 2023, MedServe, the healthcare subsidiary of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), in partnership with the Nigerian Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), recently convened a critical stakeholders’ summit.
The second edition of the Oncology Summit, themed “Enhancing the Oncology Workforce in Nigeria,” brought together regulators, oncology healthcare professionals, policymakers, and academic representatives to address the growing cancer burden in Nigeria.
Chaired by Prof. Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health & Social Welfare, the summit aimed to bridge manpower gaps in oncology practice, improve outcomes for cancer patients, and shape the future of cancer care in Nigeria.
Key objectives included expanding residency training in oncology, establishing postgraduate degrees in oncology pharmacy, and advocating for federal recognition of medical physics and therapy radiography.
Stakeholders emphasized the need for collaboration and strategic partnerships among medical professionals, regulators, policymakers, academia, and the private sector to combat cancer effectively.
While speaking at the summit, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer NSIA Mr Aminu Umar-Sadiq, represented by the Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer NSIA, Mr Kolawole Owodunni noted that “an equipped workforce, relevant training programmes and strategic collaborations, can ensure positive outcomes for people living with cancer in Nigeria.
MedServe remains committed to leveraging medical infrastructure investments, trainings programmes and pivotal collaborations to unlock access to world class oncology care in Nigeria ”
Also commenting at the summit, Vice President Global Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre and Keynote speaker Dr Bob Li called attention to the importance of collaborations, sustained clinical trails and leapfrog technologies to expand possibilities in oncology care.
Additionally, the MD of MedServe Dr Tolulope Adewole said, “Strengthening Nigeria’s oncology workforce ensures faster diagnoses, advanced treatments, and improved patient outcomes, transforming the cancer care landscape for a healthier future. At MedServe, our focus is to ensure equitable access to high quality oncology care for all Nigerians.”
To demonstrate its ongoing focus on improving healthcare outcomes in oncology, NSIA, through MedServe set up the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre (NLCC) in 2019. NLCC has so far attended to over 11,000 people and expanded possibilities for Nigerians living with cancer.
Additionally, MedServe also runs the NSIA – Kano Diagnostic Centre (NKDC) and the NSIA -Umuahia Diagnostic Centre (NUDC) co-located in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and the Federal Medical Centre Umuahia respectively.
Following the success of these demonstration projects and to further deepen access to healthcare, MedServe has rolled out its healthcare expansion programme through which it aims to establish 3 additional oncology centres, 7 catheterization laboratories and 23 diagnostic centres across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
Through these investments and manpower development strategies, MedServe continues to take bold strides in the fight against cancer to create a healthier future.
NIGERIAN TRIBUNEJoseph Inokoton
