Zimbabwe has experienced a significant increase in cancer cases in recent years, with over 10,000 cancer-related deaths recorded in 2020 alone. The southern African country’s main public hospitals offering cancer therapy services also have no functional machines.
Speaking to the Health Portfolio Parly Committee, Dr Nothando Mutizira, head of Parirenyatwa Radiotherapy Centre, observed that the prevalence of cancer cases in Zimbabwe was high and new cases were expected, attributed to behavioural risk factors for cancer, poor access to early diagnosis treatment, and palliative care.
The most common types of cancers affecting people are cervical, breast, and prostate cancer, which constitute 69% of the cancer burden in the country. Mutizira noted that the majority of the cancers were being presented late due to poor health-seeking behaviour by people, and some cancers were diagnosed at the final stages of the disease. Mutizira said:
We have seen a steady increase of cancer cases in Zimbabwe from 2008 and whilst we appreciate that the cancer cases are quite high, as of 2018 we recorded 7841 cancers in both children and adults.
We also appreciate that there is under-reportage of cancer cases and GLOBOCAN estimated that we had 16 083 cases in 2020 and over 10 000 deaths in 2020.
What is alarming is that these cancers can be screened for and be lowered in terms of the disease burden.
59% of cancer deaths are due to cervical, breast and prostate cancer in Zimbabwe.
This is very unfortunate. Due to poor health seeking behaviour by people, some cancers are diagnosed at the final stages of the disease.
According to statistics from the radiotherapy centre at the hospital, more than 1,500 cancer patients were seen each year from 2015 to 2018. However, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of patients decreased significantly in 2020, with only 568 patients seen compared to 1,500 the previous year.
The hospital has not been able to offer radiotherapy services since January 31, 2022, because all of its cancer machines are down. The hospital is currently using one functional brachytherapy machine to treat patients with gynecological cancers, but the number of patients being treated under brachytherapy has decreased because they use it as a boost for those who have gone through radiotherapy, but the machines are down. Cancer services on offer include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, brachytherapy, and other alternatives such as immunotherapy.
The Health Portfolio Committee chairperson, Ruth Labode, revealed that the cancer machines at Mpilo Hospital had been non-functional for the past four years. She questioned why the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals had not decentralized cancer services to other provinces, including Bulawayo, to reduce the burden on the hospital.
The Zimbabwean government has allocated US$2.4 million from the Treasury to repair the cancer machines in the country’s hospitals.
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