Referral hospitals will soon have cancer centres to provide patients with timely diagnostic and curative services to curb the life-threatening illness, which has reached an alarming stage, it has been learnt.
MINISTER for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Seif Rashid, in discussion with the visiting Princess Zahra Aga Khan, the Head of Social Welfare Department of the Aga Khan Development Network at the launch of the oncology programme of the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam on Monday.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 12.6 million patients are diagnosed of cancer annually in the world out of which 7.6 million of them die each year in the world, while about 44,000 patients are diagnosed with cancer in Tanzania.
Health and Social Welfare Minister, Dr Seif Rashid, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that to start with, the government would establish centres at the KCMC Hospital in Moshi municipality and Mbeya Regional Referral Hospital.
“The government has invested in improving provision of cancer-related health services in various facilities in the country,” noted the minister while officially opening the Oncology Programme at the Aga Khan Hospital.
The programme is part of Phase II of the 130 billion-shilling Aga Khan Hospital expansion project designed to cover cardiac and other medical specialties. It is financed by the France-based agency, L’Agence Francaise de Development.
East Africa Regional Aga Khan Health Service Chief Executive Officer, Mr Sulaiman Shahabuddin, said the hospital has significantly invested in enhancing its surgical resources to effectively offer the whole spectrum of cancer services from prevention to palliative care.
“Oncology clinic, which began in December 2013, has to date carried out over 50 chemotherapy treatments,” he reported.
In her remarks, Princess Zahra Aga Khan, who is the Head of the Aga Khan Social Welfare Department, said the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which owns the hospital, was committed to provide quality health care in the country.
“Our objective is to create a true integrated system that provides access to quality affordable health care,” she informed the audience.
Princess Zahra, who is the eldest child of Aga Khan IV, expressed her gratitude to the government as a valued partner, noting that the AKDN‘s ambitious agenda included a vision of creating meaningful and valued partnership with the government.
She said the hospital intends to establish an additional 30 outreach health centres over the next five years, adding that the AKDN has the mission and vision to being the premier teaching health care system in Tanzania.
By LUDOVICK KAZOKA, Tanzania Daily News
