As part of activities marking its 2nd Anniversary, the Group Table of Ikeja Club, has offered a free medical outreach for prostrate, breast and cervical cancer screenings for Lagos residents.
Speaking during the exercise on Friday in Lagos, the President of the Club, Mr Musediq Adeleke, said the screening aims to address rising cancer cases, which were often shrouded due to lack of screening, fund and early detection.
Adeleke said the outreach was organised in collaboration with the Lagos State Government, who provided the health workers and equipment used for the exercise.
According to him, the initiative focuses on breast, cervical and prostate cancer, offering critical early detection support for at-risk individuals.
He expressed satisfaction toward the turnout and outcome of the programme, saying that the target was to cover no fewer than 200 to 300 individuals.
“The tests focuse on prostrate, breast and cervical cancer because they are the most common types of cancer among men and women in the society.
“Often times, many deaths result due to lack of screening or funds to go for the necessary healthcare services.
“So, the exercise, which is going to be an annual event, will provide not just free cancer screening to many individuals who may not afford healthcare services, but also an opportunity for people to know their health status,” Adeleke said.
Shedding more light, the club’s Chairman, Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS), Mr Franklin Akinola, said it aimed at empowering individuals to recognise early symptoms, adopt preventive health measures and better understand the importance of regular screenings.
Akinola decried that many people still lacked access to the early detection tools that could make a life-saving difference, saying that early detection was crucial to improving survival rates, and the outreach was a vital step toward that goal.
The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogbooye, said that the fight against cancer required a collective efforts and a commitment to ensuring accessible healthcare.
Ogbooye described the outreach as a welcome development that would pave the way for more survivals from cancer cases, saying that government could not do it all alone.
He applauded the club for the gesture, calling on other similar clubs and organisations in the society to emulate the gesture.
“Cancer remains one of the most formidable health challenges in Nigeria, with over 79,000 cancer-related deaths annually, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“The most common cancers affecting Nigerian men include prostate and liver cancer, while women are predominantly impacted by breast and cervical cancers,” Ogbooye said.
A Retired Permanent Secretary of Lagos State, Dr Olayiwole Onasanya, said that the exercise was part of social responsibility of the club, through which it gave back to the society.
Onasanya said that exercise involved expensive tests that were given at no cost to a greater percentage of residents in the state.
“The outreach seeks to counter the trend of late-stage diagnoses, which occur frequently due to limited access to screening facilities, cultural stigmas and insufficient awareness.
“This outreach is about more than just screening; it is about saving lives, building awareness and creating pathways to preventive care for individuals who need it most,” he said.
Two Beneficiaries, Mr Akim Dosumu and Mrs Titilayo Samuel, appreciated the club for the gesture which offered them an opportunity to know their health status.
