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Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya (Picture by Nakaonga Nakaonga)
Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya has disclosed that over 9, 000 cancer patients have accessed radio therapy services at the cancer diseases hospital since 2006.
And government is this year expected to build two radio therapy centers in Kitwe and Mpika in an effort to bring cancer services closer to the people around the country.
Dr Chilufya says between 2006 to the end of 2017 the university teaching hospital cancer diseases hospital has seen 18, 000 new cases.
Speaking when he toured the university teaching hospital cancer diseases hospital in the company of International atomic energy agency director general Dr Yukiya Amano, Dr Chilufya said the facility has been expanded over the years and currently a 250 in patient bed facility has been put up.
Dr Chilufya has explained that the construction of the cancer diseases hospital was supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency which has continued to support human development at the facility.
He says before the construction of the cancer diseases hospital Zambia relied on sending cancer patients abroad for treatment, a program that costed over 10,000 United States dollars for each patient.
The minister has since expressed gratitude towards that assistance the International atomic energy agency has rendered to Zambia in the area of cancer treatment further urging it to help in funding for the training of more cancer specialists.
And International atomic energy agency director general Dr Yukiya Amano has commended Zambia for now being able to train trainers domestically as it is not sustainable to keep on sending patients outside the country.
DR Yukiya has assured the Agency’s commitment in continuing to work with Zambia further urging Zambia to safety for both the patients and health specialists by calibrating machines in the cancer hospital.