Africa-Press – Botswana. Provision of radiation oncology services by Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital (SKMTH) will greatly reduce the cost of cancer treatment locally and regionally, as well as provide convenience to cancer patients and their families.
Health minister, Dr Edwin Dikoloti said this when launching the service, the first radiotherapy technology of its kind in Botswana recently.
He said of the P6 million facility: “The radiation oncology service is a historic milestone development that marks the beginning of improved cancer care services locally and regionally.
Due to the limited advanced techniques in radiotherapy in the SADC region, the centre will also serve patients from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique and other countries.”
The state-of-the-art facility, staffed with skilled and compassionate people, would also offer a comprehensive range of radiation therapy techniques for various types of cancer, he said.
“Government is working around the clock to provide equitable access to cancer care for all patients, this centre is an assurance that affected individuals will receive quality personalised care and support throughout their cancer treatment journey,” he said.
Further, he said the centre would not only provide cancer care services, but would also to train more staff so as to foster an environment of continuous learning and improvement in order to meet cancer treatment demands and patient expectations.
Minister Dikoloti said continuous research and teaching about clinical care related matters guaranteed that patients would always have access to the latest advanced and evidence-based health assistance.
“Although the centre provides care for all types of cancers, I am pleased to inform you that the partnership with Baylor Children’s Clinical Centre of Excellence Botswana is commendable since it augments the care of pediatric cancer patients,” he said.
For his part, SKMTH board chairperson, Mr Basimane Bogopa said the radiotherapy centre, could accomodate 40 to 50 patients a day.
He advised people to go for continuous and routine checkups for early diagnosis and possible prevention of cancer.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
