Work to fix radiotherapy machines at the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals has reportedly commenced, raising the hope that cancer patients may finally get treatment at the country’s largest referral hospital.
However, the head of the Radiotherapy department at Parirenyatwa Hospital, Nothando Mutizira has lamented the non-availability of drugs and cancer machines in the country.
As reported by NewZimbabwe.com, radiotherapy machines at Parirenyatwa Hospital have been down for the past few years which has resulted in cancer patients dying without treatment.
In an interview with journalists following the donation of cancer drugs worth US$50 000 by CABS, Pick n Pay in partnership with the Cancer Association of Zimbabwe on Tuesday, Mutizira said:
As you know we have had a challenge with our radiotherapy equipment for a while but we are thankful that the engineers who are meant to come to fix our machines came for the initial assessments to see what needs to be fixed, what supplies they need to buy to fix these machines.
So they have done their initial assessment and they will be coming back soon to fix the machines so we are looking forward to our radiotherapy machines being up and running very soon.
She said the chemotherapy drugs donated will go a long way in treating common cancers. Said Mutizira:
These drugs are chemotherapy drugs. These are drugs we commonly administer to most of our cancer patients so usually, we have a challenge of our patients not being able to afford these drugs such that it leaves us in a difficult situation where we are not able to deliver the treatment that we wish to give to our patients.
With the availability of these drugs where our patients are not going to be buying these drugs since it’s a donation, it will make our job a lot easier because then we are guaranteed that our patients will be able to receive the treatment we prescribe.
Reports suggest there is only one functional radiotherapy machine in Zimbabwe and it is privately owned and this has forced cancer patients to seek treatment outside the country.
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