Head of Infrastructure Development in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sanderson Kuyeri, says the National Cancer Centre (NCC), once fully operational, will assist government to save $2 million (approximately K3.4 billion) per year, the amount it spends on sending cancer patients abroad.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Monday, Kuyeri said for many years the country has been sending cancer patients to access radiotherapy services in other countries.
“This is a game changer. You may be aware that the country has been sending patients to South Africa, Tanzania, India and Kenya for treatment and government has been spending over $2 million (about K3.4 billion) per year, which is huge amount of money. Now those services will be done right here,” he said.
Kuyeri said, currently, a team of doctors and experts are working on final touches on the machines that will be providing radiotherapy on cancer patients, the service that is aimed at killing the multiplication of cancer cells in the body.
Kuyeri then disclosed that the facility will have four bunkers for radiotherapy and two bunkers for black therapy, which he said is a huge milestone in the treatment of cancer in the country.
He further said once operational, 80 percent of the patients will be treated within the country except those who may have complex conditions.
“Our plan is that by the end of May or early June, the people should start accessing radiotherapy treatment before the facility will be officially opened. It has been a long journey but let me just encourage our patients that we are almost at the end of the road.
“It has not been easy; it has been a complicated process, but we can proudly say that the end of the story will be better than the beginning, and this will be a dream come true,” Kuyeri said.
Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) Executive Director George Jobe thanked government for the construction of the NCC, saying it will assist cancer patients to be treated within the country and at a low cost.
“This is good news. We have been sending patients to countries like Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, India and others; so, hearing now that the radiotherapy is about to start in the country is quite encouraging,” he said.
The NCC is being constructed with funding from the OPEC Fund for International Development and Malawi Government.
Malawi registers over 18,000 cases of cancer annually and, presently, the country provides oncology, including chemotherapy and palliative care services for cancer clients.
