Malawi cancer centre project starts: Mutharika lays foundation stone
President Peter Mutharika Wednesday laid a foundation stone for the construction of a National Cancer Centre at the Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe.
Speaking during a ground breaking ceremony for the K5.8 billion cancer centre at the KCH, Mutharika said the setting up of a National Cancer Centre gave Malawians a lot of hope.
He said: “The National Cancer Centre will bring hope to Malawians who are suffering from cancer as they will be treated right here without being sent abroad for treatment once the centre starts operating.”
Mutharika said his government considered the health of Malawians of paramount importance, adding that was why it wanted the country to have good health facilities.
“My government will make sure that you have better health facilities so that we can save lives of our brothers and sisters,” he said.
Mutharika said that although it had taken so long to start building the cancer centre, he would make sure that it got completed in one and a-half-year period.
“People wait for months and even years to be sent abroad for treatment, but now with the constructing of the cancer centre, patients will no longer have to travel abroad for treatment,” he said.
He said government had lined up a number of developmental projects and that one targeted area was the health sector, and disclosed that next month the construction of Phalombe district hospital would start.
In his remarks, Minister of Health, Peter Kumpalume said the building of a national cancer center was a welcome development as the country was registering a lot of cancer cases which needed radio therapy.
“We have a lot of cancer cases especially among our women. If you talk of breast and cervical cancers, both need special treatment which we don’t have at the moment in the country.
“Government is spending a lot of money sending cancer patients for treatment abroad but once we have this cancer centre operating, sending patients abroad will be history,” Kumpalume said.
The National Cancer Centre is to be built with funding from OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID).
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Kodi zomavinavinazi azimayi m’ma government function bwanji? And a Kumpalume bwanji… sawatcha imeneyo kwa VP? Chill out, see your MP Bisnowaty he is cool and calm. Chilima is a fellow human being like you no need to panic. Relax, eeeisshh! Zimanditopesa ine zimenezi heavy!!!
So, constructing a cancer centre costs just K5.8 billions? Imagine how many good things Malawi would have built if we can recover the stolen billions from cashgating thieves!