Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku-Awka has began free cervical cancer screening using Pap smear, breast cancer screening using mammography and prostate cancer screening using Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA).
The one-week exercise which began on Monday 27th July 2026 will end on Friday 31th July 2026 to celebrate the birthdays of Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo and his wife, Dr. Mrs Nonye Soludo, which fall on July 28 and July 31, 2026, respectively.
The free medical outreach is also intended to celebrate their leadership and commitment to promoting healthy living among the people of Anambra State through initiatives that encourage disease prevention and early detection.
Speaking after touring the entire teaching hospital with newsmen, the Chief Medical Director of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku-Awka, Dr Mrs Maureen Umeakuewulu said the free screening is geared towards appreciating Anambra First Couple for their wonderful works in Anambra State particularly in health sector and wellbeing of Anambra residents.
“I told my management team that this would make a greater impact because the governor’s wife has continued to touch lives through her Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo initiative, while the governor has made significant investments in the state’s healthcare sector. We believed that offering free healthcare services would be a more meaningful way of celebrating them.
“I am convinced that the governor and his wife will appreciate this initiative more than any advertisement and congratulatory messages because it directly benefits the people and aligns with their vision of improving healthcare in Anambra State,” she said.
Dr Umeakuewulu added that the exercise is to encourage early detection of cancer and make Ndi Anambra excess health in relation to cancer screening free of charge this week
“Ordinarily, hospital charge for PSA and Mammogram area #20,000 and #25,000 respectively. The exercise is capital intensive, no doubt but we want average resident to access health this one week.
“The Governor recently completed multi-million naira Trauma Centre (said to be the only one in the whole of South East geo-political zone), recruitment of health workers, free antenatal and free delivery, and upgrading of all the general hospitals, apart from the five general hospitals he built in Anambra North Senatorial District,” COOUTH CMD posited.
She noted 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.
“We chose cancer for men and women because it is number one globally, not cardiac diseases. One thing about cancer is that when you are screened, you can detect it early for onward treatment and total cure.”
Dr. Umeakuewulu emphasized that early detection remains one of the most effective strategies in the fight against cervical, breast, and prostate cancers, noting that when these cancers are diagnosed at an early stage, treatment is more effective, survival rates are significantly improved, and many lives can be saved.
According to her, those who tested negative would be advised on when next to go for screening, while COOUTH would fight the disease for those who tested positive.
Meanwhile, as the rain fell heavily in the morning of 27th July 2026, many men and women had stormed COOUTH to get free screening for cervical, breast and prostate cancer.
More than 1000 persons are expected to be screened at the teaching hospital this week free of charge for cervical, breast and prostate cancer.
The exercise, which will run from July 27 to July 31, 2026, is taking place daily from 8:00 a.m. at the hospital’s Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) and Radiology.
“Women aged 25 to 65 years are eligible for free cervical cancer screening (Pap smear), while women 40 years and above can benefit from free mammography for early breast cancer detection.
“Similarly, 200 men aged 40 years and above are receiving free Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) tests for prostate cancer screening on a first-come, first-served basis,” Dr Umeakuewulu concluded.###
