The Africa Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Cancer Consortium (AHPBCC) is keen to collaborate with the Federal Government to set up Nigeria’s first liver transplant centre.
This initiative is long overdue, according to AHPBCC Team Lead Dr Abidemi Omonisi, as many other African countries already have this facility.
Currently, Nigerians with liver cancer and other conditions must travel abroad for treatment, which is unaffordable for many low-income citizens who ultimately face death.
Omonisi stressed that this trend must be reversed and called for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between AHPBCC and the Federal Government to establish a liver transplant centre in each of the country’s six geopolitical zones.
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This initiative aims to ensure that liver cancer patients and others with end-stage liver diseases can access liver transplants in Nigeria at an affordable cost.
Omonisi pointed out that many African countries, such as Egypt, South Africa, Uganda, Sudan, and Côte d’Ivoire, have already established similar programs, making it feasible to set up a liver transplant program across all six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
The AHPBCC, led by Dr Lewis Roberts, aims to harness resources and expertise across Africa, the United States (US), and Europe to investigate the influences of lifestyle, environment, viral, and host biological factors on the development of hepato-pancreato-biliary cancers.
The President of the Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Nigeria, Prof Jesse Otegbayo, commended AHPBCC for this initiative and pledged the support of SOGHIN to ensure the program’s success.
