Parirenyatwa Hospital Group's head of oncology, Notand Mutijira, expressed concern about the increasing reliance on herbalists, which he believes is hindering the success of cancer treatment. Mr Mutizira stressed that many cancer patients delay seeking professional treatment and choose herbal medicine first, which leads to the development of terminal illness.
Addressing parliament's health portfolio committee during a fact-finding visit on Tuesday, Mr Mtizira said: “Unfortunately, 80 per cent of our patients have stage 3-4 disease. Once a patient has progressed “Once the disease is present, cure rates and success stories are much higher.” Some cancers are detected early, about 20% of the time, and survival rates are significantly improved in these cases. However, most patients present very late due to lack of awareness and the current trend of using herbal medicines. ”
Mutizira explained that if medical attention is delayed, the cancer often progresses, making effective treatment difficult. He also reported on a significant increase in the number of cancer patients, with the country's only radiation therapy center currently seeing more than 150 patients every day despite the suspension of radiation therapy equipment. . Currently, the center offers chemotherapy and brachytherapy for cervical cancer, but space and resources are becoming increasingly limited.
In contrast, Parirenyatwa Hospital's hematology department, headed by hematologist Moses Chatanbuza, is showing more optimistic results. Chatambudza reported that he has a 40 to 50 percent success rate for curative therapy for patients with blood, bone marrow, and lymphatic system disorders, even those in advanced stages.
“Our success rate means that about half of these patients go home cured, but especially if we can provide chemotherapy, blood products and establish a bone marrow service here, we can increase this to 80 to 90. %,” he said.
This will also eliminate the need for patients to travel to India for such treatment.
Despite the large number of patients, Parirenyatwa is unable to independently provide mammography for breast cancer. Because that machine he has not been used for more than 15 years. This service is currently provided with support from our partner Angel of Hope. Case delays and cancellations exacerbate cancer progression and spread while patients wait for treatment.
