By Yakubu LAAH InvestAdvocate
Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-Skye Bank Plc is fighting cancer through its awareness drive as the bank Tuesday joined the rest of the world to commemorate the 2014 world cancer day.
Ibiye Ekong, executive director (ED) South South who represented Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer GMD/CEO of the bank at a press briefing in Lagos Nigeria unveiled three (3) dedicated mobile telephone lines members of the public can call to learn more about the causes of cancer, its prevention, control and treatment from a team of consultant oncologists and clinical radiologists spread across University Teaching Hospitals from Tuesday February 04-Friday February 07, 2014.
Ekong urged members of the public to call 08137109164, 0018000004 and 08094442223 to speak with the medical experts.
“These lines will thereafter be in the custody of Care, Organisation and Public Enlightenment (COPE) Foundation and members of the public who can relate with the Foundation on their subsequent information needs on the issue,’’ she said.
According to Ekong, cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, especially in the developing countries where inadequate medical care and lack of awareness about the disease have combined to make it very deadly.
‘’There was a need for a concerted effort by both the government and the private sector to collaborate to fight the scourge of cancer in our society where incidence of the disease is on the increase,’’ she said.
She affirmed that at Skye Bank, they have taken up the challenge of working in together with other publicly spirited organisations and philanthropists; not only to promote awareness about the scourge, but also to facilitate screening, early detection and effective care for those afflicted. ‘’Our concern and desire to stem the growing incidence of the scourge date back to several years ago when we partnered with some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to call attention to the threat posed by the disease,’’ the Skye Bank executive director said.
She further affirmed that in furtherance of the bank’s commitment towards contributing to the fight against the high incidence of cancer, especially breast cancer in the country it partnered with the COPE Foundation under the bank’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, by donating two breast cancer screening machines to the Foundation to facilitate screening and early detection of the disease.
Ekong said the Bank would continue to support worthy social causes in the health sector to improve the wellbeing and healthcare of Nigerians, ‘’a healthy nation is a wealthy nation,’’ the Skye Bank ED affirmed.
However, she called on other corporate organizations to join in the fight against cancer by supporting various programmes and initiatives by NGOs and the government to reduce the cancer scourge and mortality rate in our society.
On her part, Ebun Anozie, managing partner of COPE Foundation called for the establishment of cancer care centres in the country where specialists would be stationed to provide care and treatment to patients and survivors.
Anozie commended Skye Bank for sponsoring over 30 indigent cancer patients for treatment in addition to providing free screening programmes for over 10,000 women within and outside Lagos.
She listed the bank’s other efforts to include provision of the state-of-the-art screening machines, provision of 40KVA generating set and sponsorship of international conferences.
In the same vein, Anthonia Showunmi, consultant oncologist, who was part of the briefing advised members of the public to live a healthy life style, avoid risky behaviours, and to go for general medical check up once in a year.
