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yesterday during a familiarisation tour at Parirenyatwa Hospital’s cancer wards and radiography unit.
DPM Khupe said the current scenario whereby people diagnosed of cancer come to the referral institution was not feasible.
The DPM was treated of breast cancer last year in South Africa.
‘The current setup where we have people coming to one centre for check ups is not feasible. My wish is to see these services decentralised to provinces and later district hospitals should be able to do check ups,” said DPM Khupe.
DPM Khupe said the tour enabled her understand how the department was struggling to offer a complete package of cancer care.
“Together with the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare we are going to take this issue further to Cabinet and make representations to the Finance Ministry so that the needed equipment is bought for the hospital,” she said.
She said in her case she was forced to seek treatment from South Africa because local services were not reliable.
There is only one radiotherapy machine functioning at Parirenyatwa Hospital for the whole country.
Cancer treatment costs at the moment are far beyond the reach of many ordinary Zimbabweans.
For instance, one needs an average of US$1 000 to successfully undergo treatment for cervical cancer.
On arrival patients are required to pay US$10 consultation fees.
Thereafter they will undergo at least six sessions of radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy services cost an average of US$30 a session.
After radiotherapy, the patient is required to undergo another procedure known as Bracky therapy which costs at least US$300 a session.
All these sessions plus medication prescribed costs more than US$1 000 for cervical cancer treatment.
Such costs can be avoided if Government invests in cancer prevention strategies.
Consultant oncologist Dr Anna-Mary Nyakabau said a third of all cancers are preventable.
She said Government should invest in cancer control programmes such as vaccines for prevention and screening of cancer.
“Government could save lots of money through cancer control programmes such as paying attention to early detection and screening of cancers,” she said.
Cases of cancer continue on the increase in Zimbabwe with the Parirenyatwa cancer unit attending to an average of 80 patients a day.
According to the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry, about 7 200 new cancers are diagnosed in Zimbabwe annually.
Zimbabwe only has two radiation therapy centres in Bulawayo and Harare.
Online Reporter