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Mkhululi Ncube – [email protected]

ABOUT US$80 000 is needed to repair radio therapy machines at Mpilo Central Hospital at a time when Government is the process of coming up with measures which will solve the problem of non-functional machines at hospitals leaving cancer patients stranded.

The frequent breakdown of radio therapy machines has increased the cancer burden in the country with about 10 000 people succumbing to the disease in 2020.

Cervical cancer accounted for the highest number of deaths.

In Bulawayo the radio therapy machine which uses high doses of radiation to destroy cancer are housed at Mpilo Central Hospital but at the moment they are not functioning.

Cancer patients come from the southern region of the country to receive services at Mpilo which is a referral hospital.

Government has put several measures in place to tackle the cancer burden in the country and some of the strategies include introduction of the human papillomavirus against cervical cancer, screening, early diagnosis, treatment and care.

Mpilo Central Hospital Chief Medical Director Dr Narcisious Dzvanga told the Zimbabwe Association of Neurological Surgeons conference in Bulawayo last Friday that Government is committed to addressing the challenge for the good of patients.

He was responding to questions from doctors who had asked what was being done to get the machines working again.

“The machines are down and the estimated cost of repairing them is US$80 000. Plans are underway to privatize radio therapy service either in terms of running it or in terms of maintenance. The ministry is looking closely at contracting or subcontracting the area so that it runs on a private basis or we have a service contract with a service provider,” he said.

“We have some very impressive machines, when you walk in there you will not believe they are machines in Africa, you cannot believe the machines are not working. They look very new and are state-of-the-art, it is beginning to pain everybody that in the southern region of the country that is the only provision that is there and it is not running and I apologise for it.”

Dr Dzvanga also said the unavailability of a nuclear physician was also affecting the operation of the radio therapy centre as some consumables used in the machines could not be imported without the qualified person.

Zimbabwe Association of Neurological Surgeons president, Mr Aaron Musara said there is a need for the country to avoid over regulating itself which hampers service delivery.

He said the Government needs to work with regulating medical councils to address the problem.

“We tend to over regulate ourselves on things and just tying ourselves with knots until we cannot function thereafter. Why would we even have requirement that to order this (consumables) we need a nuclear medicine specialist when we do not have those specialists with us. My request is why cannot we request the (medical) councils to remove this,” said Mr Musara.

In response, Dr Dzvanga said the country has nuclear physicists and oncologists which should be enough to satisfy the demands of the regulations.

He said he would pass the doctors’ concerns to Government. — @themkhust