Bayelsa begins work towards state cancer treatment and research centre

Bayelsa State has begun formal planning for a cancer treatment and research centre, with Governor Douye Diri inaugurating an 18-member steering committee at Government House in Yenagoa on Friday. Diri, represented at the ceremony by his deputy, Peter Akpe, said it was unacceptable for communities that bear the costs of the nation’s oil wealth to lack the healthcare services needed to remain healthy and productive. The governor attributed the growing visibility of cancer in Bayelsa to what he described as decades of oil pollution and its serious long-term health consequences.

He said breast, cervical and prostate cancers were increasingly affecting residents and causing deaths, including among young people. Diri said many patients were forced to travel to Lagos, Abuja or other countries for treatment, placing heavy financial and emotional burdens on families. He described a cancer centre in Bayelsa as a matter of “health justice”, rather than a luxury.

The committee’s terms of reference include conducting an empirical assessment of the cancer burden in the state and recommending the most suitable location for the facility. It is also expected to advise on equipment, infrastructure, partnerships and financing options. The governor further asked the members to plan for competent manpower, maintenance, training, accessibility, and reliable supplies of medicines and other consumables.

He said the members had been selected because of their competence and experience. The committee is chaired by the Commissioner for Health, Seiyefa Brisibe. In his acceptance speech, Brisibe said cancer had created substantial economic and health pressures for families and could no longer be addressed through limited measures.

He said the committee’s mandate would work towards ending the need for Bayelsans to travel outside the state for basic cancer diagnosis and treatment.