Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Ministry of Health and Social Services will this year prioritise progress towards establishing oncology services in Oshakati as part of its broader strategy to decentralise and expand access to cancer care and reduce long waiting times for cancer treatment to a maximum of six weeks, said Health Minister Esperance Luvindao.
She spoke in Windhoek on Tuesday while accepting a N$500,000 donation to the Oncology Department at the Windhoek Central Hospital from the O&L Group of Companies, a day before the commemoration of International Cancer Day today.
Minister Luvindao said that four specialist oncologists are currently in training abroad, three of whom are earmarked for the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital to strengthen capacity in the densely populated northern regions.
Photos: Ohlthaver & List
In the interim, the Ministry will continue to benefit from retired specialists on flexible contracts to support service delivery, as well as procuring services from the private sector where appropriate.
“This is the approach we take to alleviate pressure on our Cobalt 60 machine. While this support is valuable, it is not sufficient to help us fully address the shortage of specialists or to achieve our strategic targets for reduced waiting times,” she said, adding that priority attention will also be devoted to developing radiotherapy capacity and procuring a new brachytherapy machine for the treatment of cervical cancer. “We will also ensure the availability of essential chemotherapy medicines, as well as nuclear medicine and molecular imaging technologies,” she said.
Approximately 20 million new cancer cases were diagnosed worldwide, and an estimated 10 million people died from cancer during 2022 and 2023.
Luvindao said that a disproportionate number of these deaths occur in Africa, largely due to limited access to early diagnosis and timely, effective treatment.
She pointed out that Namibia continues to face significant public health challenges, including outbreaks of cholera, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, mpox, measles, as well as malaria. “I am pleased that, as a Ministry and as a nation, we implemented the necessary response measures to bring these outbreaks under control,” she said, emphasising the importance of strong primary healthcare systems, surveillance and rapid response mechanisms.
Focusing specifically on the fight against cancer, she said that it is characterised by uncontrolled cell growth and spread. “It is a growing global public health challenge and is the second leading cause of premature death worldwide, defined as death before the age of 70,” she added.
Luvindao revealed that Namibia is this week expecting to receive the IAEA and WHO ImPACT Mission — the Integrated Mission of the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy — to support the country in strengthening comprehensive cancer control capacities.
This mission, which will also include the International Agency for Research on Cancer, is in response to Namibia’s request to the IAEA for a targeted mission to provide evidence-based assessment to guide the country’s response to the growing cancer burden.
The O&L Group said that the donation is intended to support priority needs with the aim of strengthening treatment capacity, enhancing patient care and helping to create a more dignified experience for patients and their loved ones.
For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press
