On Saturday, Mr. Tinubu inaugurated the facility within the university premises, describing it as one of the top cancer treatment centres in the country.
Representing the president at the event was David Umahi, the Minister of Works and former governor of Ebonyi, who announced a donation of 2,000 kilowatts of stable electricity supply to the institution.
Mr. Tinubu assured that his government would remain committed to assisting the university in realizing its goal of becoming a leading institution in medical and health sciences, aimed at reducing medical tourism in Nigeria.
“This institution without regular power is no institution; we will ensure that more lands are acquired to accommodate the structure,” the president said.
In his welcome address, Jesse Uneke, the vice-chancellor of DUFUHS, expressed gratitude to the president for his dedication to the university’s infrastructure growth.
The vice-chancellor stated that the centre is staffed with a multidisciplinary team of specialists focused on cancer research, training, and patient care.
He referenced a 2022 report from the World Health Organisation Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN), which recorded 127,763 new cases of cancer in Nigeria.
According to Mr. Uneke, of this total, 48,096 cases—accounting for 37.6 percent—were found in males, while 76,667 cases—representing 62.4 percent—were diagnosed in females.
The vice-chancellor further noted that the report revealed a total of 79,542 cancer-related deaths, with 33,905 (41.4 percent) affecting males and 46,637 (58.6 percent) affecting females.
“The top three leading cancers in males in Nigeria ranked by the number of deaths are prostate cancer, colorectum and liver cancer while in females, top three leading cancer deaths are caused by breast cancer, cervix uterus and colorectum cancer,” he added.
He disclosed that 207 cancer patients had received treatment at the centre, with 88 being male patients and 119 being female patients.
“A total of 107 patients are between 40 and 69 years old. The commonest cancers are breast cancer, cancer of the cervix and cancer of the head/neck,” the VC added.
