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Mpilo Hospital CEO Mr Leonard Mabandi

Cancer patients who have been undergoing radiotherapy treatment at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo have not been receiving treatment since the end of June following the breakdown of the radiography machine.

The hospital’s chief executive officer Mr Leonard Mabandi said $63 000 was needed to repair the machine. He said a South African company which had a contract to repair the machine was insisting on the payment of the $63 000 first. “We entered into a service contract with a South African company and they have indicated that they can only fix the machine after we pay $63 000,” he said.

Mr Mabandi said the hospital has to raise the needed foreign currency and was planning to engage the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe so that it could be included on the central bank’s priority list. He said given the prevailing forex shortages, the hospital was unlikely to immediately secure the $63 000 to pay the SA company.

Mr Mabandi said he feared that the condition of patients who have been defaulting on their cancer treatment since the machine broke down, may deteriorate. He said just like any other disease, cancer patients need to adhere to treatment and as such there was an urgent need to fix the machine so that patients can resume treatment.

Mpilo’s cancer unit which has not been operating for the past 17 years, resumed treatment last April and had just operated for less than three months when the radiography machine broke down. Many cancer patients from the southern region of the country have over the years been forced to travel to Harare to seek treatment at Parirenyatwa hospital.

Cancer treatment is very expensive and the situation was worse for patients from the southern region who had to also meet travel, accommodation and other expenses to seek treatment in Harare. When the Mpilo unit resumed treatment last April, the development brought relief to patients from the region but unfortunately it was short-lived.

Patients from the region are once again being forced to seek treatment in Harare but from what Mr Mabandi said, most of them are waiting for the Mpilo machine to be repaired and as such are defaulting on treatment. There is therefore an urgent need for the machine to be repaired before the condition of the patients deteriorates due to defaulting on treatment.

The Minister of Health and Child Care Dr David Parirenyatwa who recently visited Mpilo Central Hospital said it was important that funds be availed to repair the machine. We want to implore Dr Parirenyatwa to urgently engage the RBZ on behalf of the hospital so that the repair of the machine is given priority.

Lives of many cancer patients are at risk as a result of defaulting on treatment and this problem therefore needs urgent attention. What is also coming out very clearly is that the unit should have more than one machine so that when one breaks down, patients continue to receive treatment while the machine is being repaired.

We would like to once again appeal to the private sector to continue assisting Government in equipping its health institutions. Mr Mabandi said he expects the machine to have been repaired by mid next month which in our view is too late.

The patients have been defaulting on treatment since the end of June and some of the patients’ condition might have deteriorated by now hence its important to have the machine back in a matter of days not weeks. Dr Parirenyatwa should treat the issue with the urgency it deserves. We want at this juncture to also appeal to RBZ Governor, Dr John Mangudya to prioritise the issue of Mpilo Central Hospital.

We cannot afford as a nation to put the people’s lives at risk by delaying to repair this important machine.