AfricaPress-Tanzania: PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa has called upon residents to refrain from lifestyles that can cause cancer, insisting that behavioural change is one of the preventive measures of diseases.
The Prime Minister made the call on Thursday evening in Mwanza at function to lay the foundation stone for the construction of cancer building at Bugando Medical Centre to expand cancer treatment services in the Lake Zone.
The Prime Minister, who was represented by Minister of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Dorothy Gwajima, said eating certain types of foodstuffs that were harmful to heath, excessive consumption of alcohol, smoking, physical inactivity were among the leading causes of cancer.
He said changing behaviour, including engaging in physical exercises and seeking medical advice, were helpful in solving the problem.
Speaking on the project, Mr Majaliwa said the building would help BMC expand the provision of cancer services. He praised Bugando management for the construction of the building by using a force account system which had shown great success in spending money wisely.
“I have been told that in this process of building, you have already saved about 40m/- in the construction of the foundation. Congratulations!” he explained.
For his part, supervisor engineer Erasto Swallo said the 5.4bn/- building under construction would have four floors, including an operation room, special radiation treatment rooms, 120-bed patient ward, patient rooms and a pharmacy.
He said the building, which would cost of 5.4bn/- and up to now 686,083,206.91 had been spent, including advance payment to the consultant engineer, the purchase of building materials and other necessary costs related to the project.
He said the justification of the construction of the building cost of 5.4bn/- which officially commenced on 1st September last year and would be completed on August 31, this year, included technical costs of 1,021,906,376/-, estimated costs of construction materials- 4,179,378,380.76 and consultant engineer costs 200m/- For his part, Assistant Archbishop of Mwanza Diocese Valentine Kabati, who represented the Bugando Hospital Board Chairman, said the church recognised the government’s contribution to improving health services, especially in cancer treatment.
“BMC is the second in the country after Ocean Road Hospital to start providing cancer specialist services through radiation,” he said and thanked President John Magufuli for setting aside about 1.7bn/- for the construction of the cancer building.
