In Zimbabwe, lack of awareness of cancer symptoms and lack of radiotherapy treatment means that cancer is only detected in the advanced or terminal stages.
Harare, Zimbabwe. Earlier this year, Lydia Musundiwa46, a resident of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, was diagnosed with colon cancer, which, already in an advanced stage, ended her life in less than two months. Now, Landeni, her 49-year-old widower, has to deal alone with the burden of caring for their three children.
In Zimbabwelack of awareness about the symptoms of cancer and radiotherapy treatment is a problem, since it is only detected in advanced stages.
According to data from the World Cancer Monitoring Centre, Zimbabwe recorded 16,083 new cases of cancer and 10,676 deaths four years ago.
On social network X, Hopewell Chin’onoa renowned Zimbabwean independent journalist and documentary maker with thousands of followers, has denounced the ravages of cancer in the South African country, which he describes as a “careless” regime. “Zimbabwe does not have a single radiotherapy machine to treat cancer. Today, contracting cancer in Zimbabwe is a death sentence. You will die.”
Last year, the Zimbabwean government appeared in state media claiming it had acquired new advanced radiotherapy machines to treat cancer.
However, in March last year, in an appearance before the Parliamentary Committee on Health and Child Care, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health Jasper Chimedza said the country had only one functioning radiotherapy machine to treat cancer patients in the country.
As a result, many Zimbabweans, like Lydia, have been diagnosed with the disease at an advanced stage, leading to her painful death. Unable to afford private healthcare, Zimbabwean cancer patients, both young and old, often die without treatment.
One of these young patients is Tangai Chaurura, 22, who is suffering from liver cancer and, according to doctors, is now in the fourth stage. His brother, Mevion, says he is now receiving only home care.
“We are waiting for his final day. We cannot fool ourselves into thinking that he will live, given his serious condition, unless a miracle happens,” he told IPS.
There are no recorded statistics on young people battling cancer in the southern African nation, but the latest statistics from Zimbabwe’s National Cancer Registry show that 7,841 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2018.
The majority of cancers recorded were cervical cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer. However, the Zimbabwe Cancer Association says cancer is not necessarily a death sentence.
“There are quite a few myths and misconceptions about cancer and that is one of the reasons why people think that having cancer is actually a death sentence, but at the Zimbabwe Cancer Association we know that is not true,” the association’s information research and evaluation officer, Lovemore Makurirofa, told IPS.
Makurirofa said cancer cases are increasing every year in Zimbabwe. He said these cases are reported in public hospitals, while many other cases of the disease go undetected.
As cancer ravages many in Zimbabwe, Refrigerators He said the answer lies in “leading a healthy lifestyle where people have a good diet and exercise.”
A Zimbabwean government health official said many people were succumbing to cancer because of late detection of the disease.
In 2023, in Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and Zimbabwe, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched an initiative to support improved access to breast and cervical cancer screening, treatment and care services.
Commenting on the initiative, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said: “Early detection is a key factor in achieving better outcomes in cancer treatment.”
“With this approach, we aim to strengthen the role of primary care services in helping to prevent excess mortality among African women from preventable cancers.”
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) says limited access to early detection, diagnosis and treatment services, as well as a lack of awareness of the disease, have hampered early detection in Africa.
Zimbabwe is no exception to what the 2018 Global Clinical Oncology Workforce Survey found, which found that a single oncologist cares for between 500 and 1,000 patients in many African countries. That is up to four times the International Atomic Energy Agency recommendation of 200 to 250 patients.
Zimbabwean cancer activists like Bakie Padzaronda, a resident of the New Jersey city, have said that cancer treatment in Zimbabwe is expensive, making it unaffordable for many.
“Medication and treatment should not be as punitive as they are today,” Padzaronda told IPS from her home.
He insisted that “they must be affordable, and we hope that the government will take this seriously by subsidising the costs of treatment. Hospitals must be equipped with adequate and modern medical equipment.”
And as cancer cases continue to rise in Zimbabwe, cancer experts like Michelle Madzudzo have said the country’s aging population and urbanization are contributing to the disease.
“The rise in cancer cases can be attributed to the ageing population, urbanisation and lifestyle changes,” Madzudzo told IPS. “In our country, cancer mortality rates are high due to several factors, including late detection and diagnosis.”
As the founder and president of Talk Cancer Zimbabwe, an organisation whose mandate is to help raise awareness about cancer, Madzudzo is a renowned Zimbabwean radiation therapist.
Jeffrey Moyo /Inter Press Service (IPS)*
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