The Sunday Mail
Dr Aldrin Musiiwa
Cancer is in the non-communicable diseases category, and NCDs are on the rise worldwide as they ride on lifestyles.
HIV is also a predisposition factor for cancers, hence the increase.
The Government of Zimbabwe has rolled out a number of initiatives to help curtail the proliferation of the disease.
Among these are vaccination programmes against human papilloma virus in girls aged 10 years old and under.
HPV leads to cervical cancer; that is why we are targeting even this age group.
Voluntary male medical circumcision is another strategy aimed at combating cervical cancer as circumcision has been shown to lower the risk of passing HPV from one person to another.
We are also vaccinating against Hepatitis B, which, if left untreated, results in liver cancer.
Further, the Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (programme) is being administered in most districts and soon we will have covered all districts.
Our oncology departments are being strengthened, too.
We have since opened a new oncology department at Mpilo Central Hospital to complement the one at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals where state-of-the-art equipment is being used.
When it comes to cancer service decentralisation, the levels of care differ.
While most district hospitals offer cancer detection services, specialised treatment has to be centralised because it entails high technical expertise.
We acknowledge that cancer treatment is expensive, but due to limitations within our fiscal capacity, there isn’t much we can do.
We, however, appeal for a bigger share of the National Budget to finance healthcare.
◆ Dr Aldrin Musiiwa is the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care. He shared these views with The Sunday Mail’s Health Reporter Shamiso Yikoniko.
