Cabinet awaits proposal

By Lanuola Tusani Tupufia 13 September 2016, 12:00AM

Cabinet is still waiting for a proposal from Hope 4 Cancer Clinic to use the $4.2million tala Samoa Land Corporation (S.L.C) building at Tuana’imato.  

Confirmed by the Minister of Public Enterprises, Lautafi Selafi Purcell, he said the government is not pressuring the company.

“We are waiting for the proposal and there is more to be done to ensure their proposal is well prepared,” Lautafi told the Samoa Observer.

“It’s not just the building (S.L.C. headquarters) they want to use but it’s the shift of their company that will be coming. We want them to be well prepared rather than rushing in just to fill in the (empty) house. 

“So we are not pressuring them. They are aware that government has accepted them to come in and there is a building for them.”

Four months ago, the founder and Medical Director of Hope 4 Cancer Institute in Mexico, Dr. Antonio Jimenez made a presentation to Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers about their cause. 

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi had initially announced that the abandoned Medcen hospital at Vailima was to be used by the Group. 

That later changed when Tuilaepa said the empty S.L.C. headquarters would be given to them instead.

Tuilaepa embraced the group.

“These doctors from the United States of America are here with the hope to set up a clinic here in Samoa that will treat all illnesses especially Cancer by using different kinds of treatment rather than letting the patient go through chemo and radiation,” he said. 

“This group is highly recommending healthy eating and natural healing, like us here in Samoa. There are a lot of cancer patients who don’t want to go through the normal treatment of cancer like chemo and radiation but they would gladly go through what these doctors are bringing on the table.”  

He explained; “The reason why they want to setup a clinic here in Samoa is because most of their patients are from New Zealand and Australia and so it would be easier for these patients to travel to Samoa rather than spending a lot of money going to America which is expensive. 

“They (cancer patients) also don’t want to go through the hard treatment but rather take these treatments that are much easier and less painful.” 

Last month, Minister Lautafi said a special committee has been approved by Cabinet to prepare an agreement for the $4.2million headquarter that will house the Hope 4 Cancer clinic. 

He said every detail of the lease will be included in the agreement. 

While the government did not hold back its support for the Mexican own clinic, the Samoa Cancer Society had their concerns. 

In a recent interview with the S.C.S. Executive officer, Shelley Burich she said it was wrong for patients to be denied the option of going through chemotherapy and radiotherapy. 

 “What we want to say to the government is if they want to offer alternative treatment, then it’s okay. But don’t do away the Overseas Medical Treatment (O.V.T.),” she said. 

 “They won’t be doing chemo or radio. With the supplements they will be using I don’t know about that. We don’t know what is in it.  So what we are pushing to the government is it’s wrong not to give that option of radio and chemo because not everyone would want to go the alternative way.”

By Lanuola Tusani Tupufia 13 September 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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