By Kondwani Magombo
Lilongwe, February 5, Mana: The Malawi National Cancer Centre (MNCC), currently under construction at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe, will be completed and ready to take in clients by end of March this year.
Minister of Health, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, announced this on Sunday when she toured the project site to appreciate the ongoing construction works of the facility, as part of commemorating World Cancer Day.
The minister expressed satisfaction with the progress of the project saying when completed, it will not only save lives of cancer clients, but also help the country save billions of Kwacha spent through referrals of clients to foreign countries for treatment.
"We're very happy with the progress of the construction works. The projection is that by end March this year everything will be completed and the Centre will be ready," said Chiponda.
She added: "This facility is very crucial; Government spends US$15,000 for every cancer client to access treatment outside the country - and that excludes air tickets and accommodation for the client and guardian,”
According to the minister, currently, there are 200 clients on the waiting list to access treatment abroad, thus the completion of the cancer facility will be a relief to the clients and the country as a whole.
The new cancer facility, which is being constructed with funding from the OPEC Fund for International Development and Malawi government, will have six bunkers for cancer treatment, including radiation therapy.
Plem Construction is the contractor undertaking the project and the company's leading engineer on the site, Ajai Mahon, concurred with the minister on the estimated date for completion of the works.
Mahon said, so far, everything regarding the construction works is in order and that they're waiting for more equipment from Turkey.
Malawi registers over 18,000 new cases of cancer annually and, presently, the country provides oncology, including chemotherapy and palliative care services for cancer clients.
