By Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, August 29, Mana: Head of Infrastructure Development in the Ministry of Health Dr. Sanderson Kuyeri has described the K10 billion magnificent radiotherapy center at the National Cancer Center (NCC) at Kamuzu Central hospital in Lilongwe, as a game changer in health service delivery in the country.

Kuyeri made the remarks Thursday in Lilongwe during a media tour of the facility which

he said will be operational by the second week of October 2024.

“This is a game charger. As you may be aware the country has been sending patients to South Africa, Tanzania, India, and Kenya for treatment and the government has been spending over $2 million (about K3.4 billion) per year, which is a huge amount of money. But now those services will be done right here,” he said.

Kuyeri said once fully functional, the facility will have four bunkers for radiotherapy and two bunkers for black therapy, which he said is a huge milestone in the treatment of cancer in the country.

“It has been a long journey, but we are now happy that we have reached this far. As of now, the installation of modern equipment has already been done and we are expecting that next week, we will be commissioning the equipment,” he said.

Kuyeri further said once operational, 80 percent of the patients will be treated within the country except those who may have complex conditions.

Malawi registers over 18,000 cases of cancer annually and presently, the country provides oncology, including chemotherapy and palliative care services for cancer clients.

The National Cancer Center is being constructed with funding from the OPEC Fund for International Development and Malawi Government.