Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has described as unfair and unacceptable the situation whereby communities in the state which bear the cost of the nation’s wealth are left without the care they need to remain healthy and productive.
Governor Diri stated this at the weekend while inaugurating an 18-member steering committee for the establishment of the Bayelsa Cancer Treatment and Research Centre at Government House, Yenagoa.
Represented by his Deputy, Dr. Peter Akpe, the Bayelsa helmsman noted that cancer “is no longer a distant disease in communities around the state, due to decades of oil pollution with serious long-term health consequences on the people.”
According to him, breast, cervical and prostate cancers have become quite rampant among the populace, resulting in deaths even among young people in their most productive years, thus necessitating the establishment of the centre.
His words: “Let me begin with the plain truth: Cancer is no longer a distant disease in our communities. Almost every family in this hall has a story: a mother diagnosed too late; a brother who traveled to Lagos, Abuja or abroad and spent everything they owned on treatment.
“Breast, cervical and prostate cancers in particular are taking our people in their most productive years. Too many of these deaths are not because the disease cannot be treated, but because treatment was too far away, too expensive, or came too late.
“In Bayelsa, we carry an additional burden. Decades of oil pollution have left their mark on our land, our water, and we fear, on the health of our people. The Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission Report of 2023 raised serious concerns about the long-term health consequences of that exposure.
“We will not accept a situation where our communities bear the cost of the nation’s wealth and are then left without the care they need. Therefore, a cancer treatment centre in Bayelsa State is not a luxury; it is a matter of health justice.”
Highlighting the terms of reference for the committee, Governor Diri charged the chairman and members to make an empirical assessment of the cancer burden in the state, as well as recommend the most suitable location for the centre, equipment, infrastructure, partnerships and financing options, amongst others.
He also charged them to plan for the requisite and competent manpower, maintenance, training, accessibility to the facility and steady supply of drugs and consumables, noting that they were chosen on account of their competence and years of experience.
In his acceptance speech on behalf of the steering committee, the Chairman and Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, expressed gratitude to the governor for finding them worthy to work for the establishment of a world-class cancer centre in Bayelsa.
Prof. Brisibe, noted that setting up of the committee underscores the unwavering commitment and seriousness the Douye Diri Administration attaches to the health and well-being of the people of the state.
He said the burden of cancer in the state is a reality with huge economic and health burden on families and could no longer be managed with half measures, which informed the careful selection of members with the required expertise.
According to him: “First of all, let me appreciate, with deepest gratitude, on behalf of the members of this steering committee, His Excellency the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, for his unwavering commitment to the health and well-being of all Bayelsans.
“It is visionary leadership and decisive mandate that have brought us to this inauguration today. The burden of cancer on communities is a reality that we can no longer afford to manage with half measures.
“Families in Bayelsa endure the excruciating financial, physical and emotional toll of travelling outside the state and often outside the country, just to access basic diagnostic and therapeutic cancer care. This will end with the mandate for the work we are about to begin.”
Members of the steering committee include Dr. Jones Stow, Prof. Jumbo Johnbull, Dr. Boboye Ifie, Dr. Oluwadare Marcus and Dr. James Omietimi.
Others are Dr. Ebikapaye Okoyen, Dr. Ngowari Torunana, Mrs. Beatrice Olomiete, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, Dr. Ibimonye Porbeni and Mr. Nimifagha Esindu.
Also to serve on the committee are Prof. Kelvin Kiridi, Dr. Timipa Peregha-West, Magdalene Alabinte, Prof. Beleudanyo Fente, Dr. Elizabeth Obiorah and Dr. Embeleakpo Apere.