Skye Bank PLC, in conjunction with its partner NGO, Care Organisation and Public Enlightenment (C.O.P.E) provided awareness on the menace of breast cancer in Lagos at the weekend.
Group Managing Director Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, in a message to mark the breast cancer month, said: “There is need for a concerted effort by both government and public spirited organisations to fight the cancer in our society.”
He described cancer as a leading cause of death worldwide, especially in developing economies where inadequate medical care and lack of awareness have combined to make it deadly.
“Our commitment towards contributing to the fight against the high incidence of cancer, especially breast cancer in the country through our partner NGO, and under our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, is unwavering, adding that “we have demonstrated this again and again by our continued support through C.O.P.E,” the bank chief said.
Abiru, who was represented on the occasion by Mrs. Funmi Oketogun, group head, Commercial Banking, said: “The bank has been collaborating with C.O.P.E on a number of initiatives since the pact was initiated, such as SEEK-A-CARE project, a long-term relevant home care delivery service offered to breast cancer patients.”
“In addition to this, the bank also established a Breast Cancer Information Service Centre to serve as a databank where relevant and up-to-date information on breast cancer is available as well as a help desk with dedicated phone lines where patients could call.”
C.O.P.E. Chief Executive Officer Mrs Ebun Anozie hailed the bank for its contributions.
In a paper, the guest lecturer, Prof. Ifeoma Okoye, who spoke on the “Role of imaging in breast cancer screening, diagnosis and management”, said cancer is real but not a death sentence, urging Nigerians, especially people of faith not to live in denial of this reality.
“What we should concern ourselves with is to take the issue of our health seriously, do regular checkups; watch our lifestyle, our eating habits and engage in constant and consistent physical exercise,” she said.
“Early detection is crucial for effective management and treatment. There is also the need to give support to cancer patients and the need to move away from the myth that cancer is contagious. It is nothing but a fallacy,” the professor of Radiology at the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Nsukka, added.
