Date: 2014-03-26

The Leah Charity Foundation, an Ilorin, Kwara State based non-governmental organization, has intensified her effort at reducing the incidence of breast and cervical cancers in women through a sensitisation visit to local government in the state. This is in addition to the establishment of the Leah Cancer Centre and three other screening centres in around the Ilorin Metropolis.

Currently, Founding Trustee of the Foundation, Mrs. Omolewa Ahmed has visited ten out of the sixteen local governments in the state to speak to the women on the need for early screening as a way of increasing the chances of survival.

Whilst praying that no one would come down with the disease, Ahmed, who is also wife of the governor of Kwara State noted that cancer was not necessarily a death sentence when it is discovered early and that this was the reason people must make efforts to embark on self-breast examination at least once every year and take tests for cervical cancer.

She explained that the Leah Cancer Centre was established to provide opportunities for women to check themselves, get information on how to examine themselves and provide counselling and treatment options for women who need these interventions.

Ahmed stated that in the past couple of months, close to 4,000 women have been screened at the centre. 240 of them were discovered to have breast lumps, 30 had cases of “full blown cancer”, while five of the screened women, had cases of cervical cancer,” that had gone beyond redemption.”

She said further that ten women are currently undergoing Cryotherapy, just as 50 women have been referred to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin for the removal of lumps in their breasts. Other referral centres bankrolled by the foundation for cancer related cases are; Adewole Cottage Hospital and Children Specialist Hospital, Centre- Igboro, both in Ilorin.

Appealing to women to take advantage of the ultra-modern equipment at the GRA, Ilorin based cancer centre for screening of both breast and cervix at a very highly subsidized rate of 200 naira, which was fixed to take care of the disposables used for the screening, she said efforts were on to improve the capacity of the centre to treat diagnosed cases.