The free cancer screening for cervical, breast, and Prostate Specific Antigen, PSA, floated as part of activities marking the commemoration of the birthdays of Governor Chukwuma Soludo tomorrow, being 28th of July, 2026, and that of his wife, Dr. Nonye, coming up on the 31st of July, 2026, by the management of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka, has kicked off.

The one week long screening will end on Friday, 31st July, 2026.

When ABS visited the hospital, a crowd of beneficiaries were seen at the place taking their turns to be examined.

Speaking to newsmen, the Chief Medical Director, COOUTH, Dr. Maureen Umeakuewulu, said that she and the management of the hospital decided to embark on the exercise in appreciation of what Governor Soludo is doing in the health sector, including the multi-million naira trauma centre, employment of health personnel, free antenatal and free delivery, and the upgrading of all the general hospitals, apart from the five general hospitals he built in Anambra North Senatorial District, while his wife has continued to provide preventive medicine to Ndi Anambra State in the area of healthy living, nutrition, mother and child care, among others.

According to the CMD, the number of people to be screened, especially men, is on the high side, noting that it shows that they are willing to go for screening at intervals but for the financial burden, they pretend as if they are not interested, adding that the exercise has provided and is still providing them with data for future use.

Dr. Umeakuewulu said that those who tested negative would be advised on when next to go for screening, while they would fight the disease with those who tested positive.

She regretted that most people do not go for screening so as to detect issues early enough to guarantee total cure, as in the case of cervical cancer, warning that visiting the hospital when they are in stage three or four of breast cancer is almost mission impossible.