HIV related cancers which are gradually dominating the scene says Health and Child Welfare Minister Dr. Henry Madzorera.
BY WALLACE MAWIRE The Afro News HARARE
Zimbabwe is witnessing a steady increase in incidences of cancer within its population partly due to an increase in HIV related cancers which are gradually dominating the scene says Health and Child Welfare Minister Dr. Henry Madzorera. Dr Madzorere made the remark at the official opening of the 5th African Radiation Oncology Group (AFROG) conference held in Harare recently.
AFROG seeks to encourage cooperation and collaboration among African Radiation Oncologists and Medical Physicists so as to enhance the management of cancers in Africa. Dr Madzorera said that there are about 7 200 new cancers diagonised in Zimbabwe annually according to the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry figures. He added that loss of skilled staff, unavailability of medication and challenges in the maintenance of equipment impact negatively on the management of cancer.
Madzorera says that cancer has basically been overshadowed by the many challenges in the health sector and has not received adequate attention. He says that in addition to cancer treatment in Zimbabwe, there are two Radiotherapy centres in the country. Radiotherapy treatment is a very important component in the treatment of cancer, be it with a curative or palliative intent.
“There is therefore the need to re-equip these centres to be able to cope with the patient load presented to them and to fully utilize the existing local expertise available in the use of radiotherapy for cancer treatment,” says Madzorera.
lt is further noted that government of Zimbabwe is fully aware of the need to come up with a comprehensive cancer management plan that includes the development of additional radiotherapy centres with an aim of having at least one linear accelerator (linac) per million people.
He says that this translates to about 13 machines for a population of about 12,3 million people.
Zimbabwe is receiving support from organizations like the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),PACT and WHO to combat the disease.
Madzorera adds that the majority of cancer patients will be in the developing world within the coming two decades. He says that the developing world has many contributors to this escalation in the problem of cancer which includes the HIV and AIDS epidemic, lack of cancer education and prevention activities.
“The problem of cancer cannot be ignored. The prevention and treatment of cancer in our region should be given the priority it deserves as a matter of urgency,” he says.
Other reports received from reliable sources indicate that in Zimbabwe more resources are being channelled towards the eradication of HIV and AIDS and diseases like cancer do not receive much priority. Ironically, incidences of HIV related cancers are reported to be on the increase in the country.
ln Zimbabwe also, people wishing to learn more about cancer can visit the Cancer Centre which provides education and information on cancer, a cancer centre help service and a breast care clinic. However, a lack of resources has been a major impediment of the centre.
Rose Tal, Cancer Centre General Manager called on the Zimbabwean population at the sidelines of the AFROG meeting to visit the centre to learn more about the disease.
She said that some people ignore cancerous diseases due to some traditional beliefs that they have and this tends to prolong them from receiving early diagnosis and treatment which can be detrimental to their health.
