Dr Adeniyi Adenipekun, Consultant Radiologist Oncology, University College Hospital, (UCH) Ibadan, has called on the Federal Government to institute Psycho-oncology treatment in teaching hospitals to ameliorate the sufferings of cancer patients.

Dr Adenipekun, made this call on Tuesday in Ibadan while speaking shortly after the opening ceremony of the 2nd psycho-oncology training workshop and Psycho-oncology Society of Nigeria (POSON)’s national conference.

Dr Adenipekun, who is also the Head of Department, Radiologist Oncology, (HOD), said that psycho-oncology was a big issue because patients with cancer require various therapies to help them in relieving their emotional pains.

``Cancer incident is rising globally and the effect is much more devastating in developing countries such as Nigeria, because of the inadequate facilities and inadequate human resources in terms of training in management care, I wish the government could make it a policy to have a psycho-oncology units in all hospitals whereby patients with cancer can access the kind of treatment they deserve,” he said.

The HOD, who noted that UCH was the only hospital in Nigeria practising it, also called on the government to ensure that more people were trained in the area of psycho-oncology in other teaching hospitals, saying, the number of people with the experience was not enough.

``When other medical personnel are trained at teaching hospitals, others in the state, secondary and local governments hospitals would be trained by those already trained,” Adenipekun said.

The immediate past chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), UCH, however, advised cancer patients to ensure they get a psycho-oncology treatment to take care of their emotional pains, adding that “this will go along a way to make them much better.”

``Most of them smile when they are out of the psycho-oncology sessions. The aim is that the effect of the psycho-oncology skills and techniques being applied to them at our hospital makes them happy again,” Dr Adenipekun said.

Earlier, in his keynote address, Dr Anthony Marinho, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, St. Gregory Specialist Hospital, Ibadan said that the aim of the POSON was to improve the response of the patients to cancer and touch their minds emotionally.

``Psycho means looking after the mind while oncology deals with the cancer, so a psycho-oncology medical personnel duty is to ensure they make their patients happy because a happier person deals with the disease and lives longer than expected,” Marinho said.

Marinho, who is also the POSON Board of Trustees chairman, urged relatives of cancer patients to learn psycho-oncology skills so that they could often use it at home, saying, “ it is a therapy that when given cheers them up and gives them hope to live”.

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Psycho-Onchology in Nigeria?
written by Duke, August 17, 2012

Another diversionary DREAM. Psychology based therapy works on the minds and brains that are LIBERATED enough.And you do not have that YET in Nigeria.For this learned physician who is pushing this "CROCK", one will not be surprised he still retains his home/traditional disposition to the SPIRITS. Check him out first.

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