THE Mwanza-based Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) will not begin full treatment of cancer cases after failing to get at least 6bn/- needed to make it operational, it was revealed.
The centre’s Director General Prof Kien
Mteta said that 3bn/- was requested for the commencement of phase two of
the facility, which would have included radiotherapy treatment and
wards but as the current financial year approaches its end no single
cent has been obtained.
He said the construction of the facility
is crucial to providing the referral hospital with the capacity of
attending 3,500 cancer cases it receives annually.
The centre has been compelled to refer
half of the cases to the Ocean Road Cancer Institute in Dar es Salaam.
“We had applied for the budget so that we can start the construction as
earlier agreed but the ceiling we received came without the money.
This means the work will still be kept
on hold,” said Prof Mteta. Besides the building of wards and offices,
another 3bn/- were meant installation of the two Renak machines for
cancer treatment. The machines will now remain idle for another year.
In its recent report, however, BMC said
already phase one of the project has been completed which include six
bunkers, treatment planning, mould, consultation and library conference
rooms, a molecular laboratory and a minor theatre estimated at a cost of
7m US Dollars (around 6bn/- by then).
During their visit to the facility on
Monday, the United Nations Resident Coordinator Alvaro Rodriguez and the
European Union Deputy Head of Mission Luana Reale commended the work
done and promised to extend support for BMC to be able to attend cancer
patients.
The International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) had supported the centre with the procurement of modern equipment
for cancer treatment as well as develop required human resources.
Under the capacity building package, the
UN through IAEA, has already facilitated training of 15 local experts
abroad at a cost of 50,000 Euros (around 100m/- each ) while other four
experts are expected to leave for another training before the end of
this year, Prof Mteta said.
Responding to the call for more support,
Rodriquez said the UN was concerned with health challenges facing the
majority people in the Lake Zone, adding that more assistance was in the
pipeline.
“We have a special development
assistance programme which starts in July this year and the Lake Zone
will be given special consideration. Otherwise arrangements with other
potential donors will be made, seeing to it that the facility becomes
fully operational,” he said.
To reduce the number of patients in need
of radiotherapy and nuclear medicine services at the Ocean Road Cancer
Institute, the government selected BMC as an expansion site, thanks to
IAEA which in collaboration with the Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission
developed a number of projects.
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