UBH leads breast cancer fight

Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected]
UNITED Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) is strengthening its role in the fight against breast cancer, cementing its position as a centre of excellence for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease by equipping frontline healthcare workers with life-saving skills through specialist masterclasses and online learning programmes.

A team of specialist breast surgeons from the United Kingdom is in Zimbabwe conducting a high-level masterclass for local nurses and doctors aimed at enhancing their capacity to diagnose and treat breast cancer. The programme began on Monday.

Hosted by UBH in partnership with the Association of Breast Surgeons-UK (ABS-UK), the initiative is equipping frontline healthcare professionals with critical skills in the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

The masterclass marks a significant milestone in Zimbabwe’s efforts to localise advanced cancer care, reducing the need for referrals to countries such as South Africa and India.

Dr Munyaradzi Magara, specialist breast surgeon and head of the UBH Breast Cancer Unit, said the training represents a major step forward in the country’s breast cancer care services.

“The masterclass will teach nurses on how to recognise symptoms and make sound decisions for early diagnosis. The ultimate goal is to ensure patients get to the right place, at the right time and with a sense of urgency. “Local surgeons will receive hands-on training in theatre, assisted by UK specialists while radiographers, oncologists and pathologists will also be engaged in multi-disciplinary training,” said Dr Magara.

Unlike in the past, when some cancer patients had to seek treatment abroad, breast cancer patients can now access specialised care at UBH.

The referral hospital has significantly reduced the breast cancer diagnosis period from six months to just one week, a model that is now being replicated at hospitals in Gwanda and Beitbridge.

Breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Zimbabwe, with about 2 000 new cases recorded annually and half of the patients failing to survive beyond three years.

“Awareness is important for early detection and treatment and we are seeing an improvement in the number of people that come to UBH for screening. The masterclass is very critical for our nurses to be able to detect breast cancer so that the patient undergoes early treatment and save lives,” he said.

The breast cancer training programme stems from a long-term partnership with ABS-UK that began with the first symposium in 2019. Dr Magara and fellow specialist Dr Simba Mungazi underwent training in the United Kingdom between 2020 and 2022 and returned with specialist skills that have helped transform breast cancer care at UBH.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube on Monday received audio-visual equipment on behalf of UBH, donated by the Association of Breast Surgery.

She described the partnership between UBH and the Association of Breast Surgery as vital for knowledge exchange, skills transfer and strengthening healthcare delivery systems.

“When I officially opened the inaugural Bulawayo Breast Cancer Masterclass last year, we spoke about the importance of strengthening our capacity to prevent, diagnose and treat breast cancer. I am delighted to learn that significant progress has been made since that inaugural programme,” said Minister Ncube.

“Among the notable achievements is the training of more than 20 doctors and 20 nurses in breast cancer diagnostic processes and point-of-care ultrasound skills. This is particularly important because the availability and use of ultrasound at the consulting room or patient’s bedside can significantly shorten clinical decision-making and diagnostic intervals,” said Minister Ncube.

She said nurses are often the first point of contact for patients presenting with breast-related symptoms, making investment in specialised nursing skills critical to strengthening the broader health system.

“Another encouraging development is the work being undertaken through the combined breast and cervical cancer early detection clinic at UBH. In 2025 alone, 66 new breast cancer cases were diagnosed through this clinic,” said the minister.

“This demonstrates the importance of accessible early detection services and also presents an opportunity for us to examine the UBH model more closely, with a view to determining how such an approach could potentially be strengthened and scaled up nationally.”

The minister said the donated audio-visual equipment would help multiply skills in the fight against breast cancer not only at UBH but across the country.

“The equipment will enable specialised surgical procedures to be captured and projected or livestreamed to medical practitioners who cannot all physically fit inside the operating theatre.

“This means that instead of a limited number of doctors being able to observe a specialised procedure, a much larger number can participate in the learning experience, follow the procedure in real time and seek clarification from the specialists. In this way, one surgical procedure becomes a classroom for many healthcare professionals,” said Minister Ncube.