17,000 Ugandans to miss out on cancer treatment - expert
The Managing Director FATRO Consultant-Radiation Oncology, Dr M. Arunlal addresses the media in Kampala on Monday. Left is Fred Omach, the State Minister for Finance(General Duties). PHOTO BY Alex Esagala.
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Cancer dilemma. A cancer specialist says more than half of cancer patients in Uganda need radiotheraphy treatment
Kampala.
Radiotherapy is an important modality in treating cancer and absence of a radiotherapy machine leaves patients with locally advanced cancer in great pain, Dr M. Arunlal, an Indian radiation oncologist, has said.
Dr Arunlal, who is part of a delegation from Aster DM Healthcare, a conglomerate based in the Middle East and India, planning to train doctors and set up telemedicine centres in Uganda, said that basing on the global cancer burden statistics about 55 per cent of the patients need radiotherapy treatment.
His visit to Uganda came at time when the country’s lone radiotherapy machine has broken down beyond repair and its replacement is not due for at least one year due absence of a bunker to house a new one.
In an interview with Daily Monitor, Dr Arunlal who has more than four years experience in radiation oncology, said Uganda needs about six radiotherapy machines which are geographically spread across the country if it’s to improve cancer management. “It is a challenge to have one major cancer centre with one machine.
This poses a major risk to the healthcare system since cancer treatment requires a multi-disciplinary approach,” Dr Arunlal said. “Ideally, according to global oncology statistics, Uganda has about 32,000 new cancer cases and about 55 per cent (about 17,600) of these will need radiotherapy treatment,” he added.
While explaining the machine’s impact, Dr Arunlal said radiotherapy treatment is normally used on patients whose cancer presentation is at a locally advanced stage, also referred to as stage three.
Due to limited technological advancements, Dr Arunlal said cancer deaths are high in less developed countries like Uganda yet they have low cancer incidences compared to more developed countries whose mortality rates are low despite high numbers of cancer patients.
He said the new hope for cancer patients is the emergence of immunotherapy, a type of cancer treatment designed to boost the body’s natural defences to fight the cancer. “It uses materials either made by the body or in a laboratory to improve, target, or restore immune system function,” he explained, adding that tests were last year confirmed successful for the treatment of lung and skin cancers.
Finance State minister Fred Omach, who received the team of specialists in Kampala on Monday, said a partnership between Aster city hospital based in Kerala, India, with government will help Uganda build its capacities in treating and detecting cancer using new technologies.
Health Minister Dr Elioda Tumwesigye, told MPs on the Health Committee of Parliament yesterday that “the good news” is that the Ministry of Finance had accepted to provide Shs30b needed for the construction of a bunker for the cancer machine.
