THE motion that MDC-T vice-president Thokozani Khupe intends to table in the National Assembly calling for the introduction of a cancer levy to help Zimbabweans suffering from the disease to get treatment is noble, but must be handled carefully.
Khupe, a breast cancer survivor, wants to lobby fellow MPs to push for the establishment of cancer treatment units in the country.
She said her motion was motivated by the alarming number of women dying from breast and cervical cancer in Zimbabwe as well as the unavailability of cancer treatment.
Cancer is now a common health problem in Zimbabwe due to various factors, but access to treatment is limited and too expensive for ordinary people.
Khupe is best qualified to speak about the tribulations of cancer patients in Zimbabwe because she underwent treatment for breast cancer in and outside the country.
Last year, she revealed that she had lost one of her breasts to cancer, which only shows the extent of suffering people who with one of the most prevalent cancers have to go through.
However, support for Khupe’s motion should not just come out of the fact that this is an area that needs serious attention by the government and other stakeholders.
When debating this motion, the MPs need to bear in mind that Zimbabweans are already overburdened with taxes.
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Those already levied contribute part of their wages and salaries to the fight against HIV through the Aids Levy.
Workers also pay other litany of taxes that see them taking home very little every month.
Therefore, instead of going for the low hanging fruit, Khupe’s motion should spur the MPs to start thinking outside the box for other mechanisms to fund the fight against cancer.
As the country prepares for the 2014 national budget, should the MPs not be lobbying for a special budget allocation in the Health and Child Care ministry vote towards a cancer fund?
The fund can be simply created by reducing the votes of ministries such as that of Defence, which already get more funding than education and health yet Zimbabwe is not involved in any war.
Khupe would also enrich debate in the House if she finds out from workers what they think about her proposed levy.
