Source: DAWN OF A NEW ERA . . . final batch of multi-energy cancer machines arrives – herald
Trust Freddy-Herald Correspondent
THE final batch of multi-energy cancer treatment machines procured by the Government is expected in the country tomorrow, after the State successfully negotiated to airlift the 22-tonne cargo to bypass volatile shipping disruptions in the Middle East.
The arrival of the two high-capacity, multi-energy radiotherapy machines will complement two low-energy units already in the country and being installed at the nation’s primary referral centres.
Procurement of the equipment, funded through US$30 million raised from the Sugar Tax introduced in the 2024 National Budget, directly underpins President Mnangagwa’s aggressive drive to equip and modernise all public health facilities to match international standards under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
This development comes barely a month after the President commissioned the refurbished Adlam House and trainee nurses’ block at Parirenyatwa, where he vowed that the Presidential Hospital Renovation Programme will systematically upgrade health infrastructure across every district nationwide to achieve Vision 2030 targets.
There had been growing concerns that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, particularly around the critical Strait of Hormuz maritime route involving regional powers, would indefinitely stall the delivery of the equipment from the Netherlands.
However, in an exclusive interview on Friday, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora revealed that the Government has intervened to eliminate any logistical bottlenecks.
“Yes, there was a disruption in the movement of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and some of our cancer machines, which were coming, were supposed to pass through there,” Dr Mombeshora said.
“But I can say, confidently, that I had a conversation with the suppliers and they assured me that they are now being air-lifted and that they will arrive on Tuesday next week. So they will be coming by air, and it’s 22 tonnes worth of equipment, so that’s where we are.”
Minister Mombeshora revealed that the Government purchased different tiers of technology to overhaul public oncology capabilities.
The first two low-energy machines delivered earlier have already been deployed to Harare and Bulawayo, with technical teams reaching advanced stages of installation.
“The two that came were low-energy ones for Mpilo and Parirenyatwa. The latter have already finished installing the machine; they are now waiting for engineers to come and verify that all has been done, so anytime that machine will be commissioned,” he said.
“The second machine is being installed at Mpilo Radiotherapy Centre, and the installation process started well and I am getting reports that 75 percent of the work has been done.”
Dr Mombeshora added that the incoming 22-tonne airborne consignment consists of larger, advanced multi-energy units sourced from a single manufacturer.
These will also be split equally between Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare and Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo to maximise treatment depth.
To guarantee that cancer patients do not face operational disruptions during the infrastructural upgrade, the ministry has adopted a staggered decommissioning strategy.
“The decommissioning (of old machines) at Mpilo has already started and we are waiting for the multi-energy machine to be installed there,” Dr Mombeshora said.
“But we have waited on decommissioning the Harare machine so that we don’t have a gap.” Dr Mombeshora said.
The delivery dovetails with the Second Republic’s Vision 2030 of attaining an upper-middle-income society anchored on a healthy, productive population. Under the Presidential Hospital Renovation Programme—which is currently transforming Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, and Mpilo Central Hospital—the state is pushing a Whole-of-Society approach to build local healthcare capacity.
Once the new equipment is fully commissioned, older machines from the referral centres will be decommissioned and redeployed to provincial facilities, including Gweru Provincial Hospital, to create a third national radiotherapy hub.
The expansion of public oncology services is expected to bring immense financial relief to thousands of Zimbabweans.
Currently, treatment costs in private facilities can be prohibitive, with the price of chemotherapy drugs ranging from US$100 to US$1 000 per dose, while radiotherapy can cost between US$5 000 and US$10 000 per course.
Surgery may range from US$1 000 to US$10 000 depending on complexity. Many patients require multiple rounds of treatment.
According to Treasury, the broader equipment package also includes Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines, CT scanners, fusion and syringe pumps, vital signs monitors, and digital X-ray machines to upgrade diagnostic capacity across all central, provincial, and district hospitals.
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