Cancer in Africa is a concern for many countries due to how expensive treatment is. Uganda has restarted a vital treatment for cancer patients nearly two years after the country’s only radiotherapy machine broke down.
With the help of International Atomic Energy Agency, the new machine is expected to cover the backlog of patients faster and more efficiently.
Cancer patients feel relief after the long awaited machine is now up and running. CGTN’s Isabel Nakirya brings us the story of one of the cancer patient who has been waiting for such a moment.
“I regretted when i found out i had cancer of the uterus, i should have removed my uterus earlier because i left my marriage when i was still young, maybe it could have helped, but i found out late and i didn’t know i had cancer.” Imelda Kandole said.
Kandole still has over 20 more treatments to go, for her second treatment but it is a costly process.
Imelda comes from western Uganda and she’s had to rent a house in Kampala as she receives treatment.
“People are many and we have to wait in queue for long. If at least we had these machines in every region. People are coming from the west, north…it’s too much and it’s expensive because you need to get where to sleep and buy food.” Kandoole said.
After two years without a radiotherapy machine, the number of patients is overwhelming. Doctors say they’ve had to extend working hours to be able to treat about 100 cancer patients’ everyday.
The new machine is a huge step in cancer treatment not only for Uganda but also patients from neighbouring countries who were accessing free radiation treatment.
“This machine works on a new system, it’s digital, it’s more accurate and more sophisticated. It was manufactured on order, after renovation of the building and the bunker and with help of the International Atomic Energy, the order was made.” Dr. Daniel Kanyike, a clinical radiation Oncologist said.
Uganda’s Cancer Institute receives about 500 new cancer cases annually and more than half of these require radiotherapy.
The government says it now hopes to buy additional radiation machines to help doctors better manage the disease.
With improvement in technology, hope for patients like Imelda could be restored.
