Cancer patients deserve better

The right to health is a fundamental human right in the 1995 Constitution. Under International treaties, governments are required to enact policies that promote affordable basic health services without any discrimination. Regrettably, a broken healthcare system, blamed on persistent inadequate funding and many years of inaction, has let down hundreds of cancer patients who are currently stranded at Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI).

The numbers have forced authorities at UCI to ban desperate patients as well as caretakers who have nowhere to go from sleeping on their verandas and corridors. The ban is, however, self-defeating and is no solution to the endemic challenges in our healthcare system. Parliament needs to wake up and push the Executive to get priorities right. The challenges at UCI and the glaring gaps in our ailing healthcare system must be addressed at once.

The current care home for stranded cancer patients, which the UCI management directed patients to, can accommodate only 100 patients. Many patients have nowhere to go. The care home, owned by UCI, is a temporary structure having only two tents.

The patients who are sleeping outside are those who are waiting for the next cycle of cancer treatment. Cancer treatment is done in phases and not every cancer patient is admitted, meaning some of them are handled like out-patients. Yet, many of the patients, about 85 percent, are not people from central Uganda, so they have to rent in Kampala or travel back and forth in the course of treatment. Unfortunately, not all of them can afford this and thus end up sleeping on verandas and corridors of the institute. The institute handles more than 60,000 cancer patients per year.

Private players like Kawempe Home Care have been housing cancer patients who are stuck. Decent accommodation and care increase the chance of recovery from cancer. Survival rate for cancer in Uganda is around 50 percent, partly because of the poor living condition of patients, which increases stress and risks of treatment failure. Most of the people who end up at UCI are those who can not afford specialised treatment abroad.

Since cancer cases are increasing, we proposed a deliberate government campaign akin to HIV/Aids and other challenging diseases. There are conflicting reports about cancer prevention. However, your chances of getting cancer are affected by the kind of lifestyle choices you make and late detection complicates matters.

Therefore, to reduce the risk of getting cancer, do not smoke, eat healthy diet, maintain a healthy weight and be physically active, protect yourself from the sun; protect yourself from certain viral infections; avoid risky behaviours that can lead to infections; get regular medical care/ check-ups. It is also desirable to add exercise to your routine to reduce stress, increase energy, boost your immune system, control your weight and reduce your risk of contracting cancer.