BY HOPEWELL CHIN’ONO
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and over 1,000 Zimbabwean women die every year from breast cancer due to a lack of treatment according to government figures.
Some researchers argue that the number is as high as 6,500, as many people die without treatment or recorded diagnosis, leading to uncounted cases.
Zimbabwe has the highest rate of death from cancer among women, at 142.9 percent deaths per 100,000.
More than 2,000 cervical cancer deaths occur in Zimbabwe annually, according to Health Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, although researchers estimate the figure to be around 3,000.
This situation is primarily caused by inadequate treatment options, as Zimbabwe has not had a single functioning radiotherapy cancer treatment machine in over three years.
Currently, the entire country’s public health system has only one working radiotherapy machine, which became operational only three months ago after nearly three years without a functional machine for the whole country.
At the very least, the country needs 16 machines to meet the World Health Organization’s standard of 1 machine per every 1 million people of a recorded census.
A 2018 cancer study conducted by UNICEF revealed that Zimbabwe had the fifth highest burden of cervical cancer in the world, with over 2,000 female deaths recorded each year according to government figures.
Without the necessary machines in public hospitals, more Zimbabwean women will die from cervical and breast cancer.
The funds to purchase the machines are available; however, Mnangagwa and his regime seem indifferent to the plight of these women who are dying daily from these cancers.
It is important to note that we are discussing women today because of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but thousands of Zimbabwean men are also dying from various types of cancer due to the lack of treatment facilities.
Currently, the entire country is relying on just one machine in all public hospitals. Why, why, why?
When Robert Mugabe was removed from power through a military coup, public hospitals had 5 radiotherapy machines in service; two at Mpilo hospital in Bulawayo and three at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare.
Today only one machine is working at Parirenyatwa after the country had gone for three years without a single machine in all public hospitals.