FORMER deputy prime minister, Thokozani Khupe, has called for transparency in the utilisation of funds raised through various taxes to finance cancer treatment.
Khupe, a breast cancer survivor, highlighted the implications of delayed diagnosis, while calling on the government to channel more funds towards cancer treatment services.
“When cancer is detected early, treatment is simpler, less costly, and significantly more effective,” Khupe said in a statement through her Thokozani Khupe Cancer Foundation.
“When discovered late, it becomes complex, prohibitively expensive, and often less successful.”
Khupe founded the Foundation after her initial breast cancer diagnosis in 2011.
The foundation aims to raise awareness about cancer, emphasising that early detection is key to survival.
Khupe urged government, health institutions, and communities to prioritise cancer awareness and early detection year-round and not only in October.
Zimbabwe generates funds for cancer treatment from the sugar, airtime, and data taxes.
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“These resources should be invested in state-of-the-art equipment and in strengthening Mpilo and Parirenyatwa hospitals with fully functional multidisciplinary teams,” read the statement.
In Parliament last week, opposition legislator Gladys Hlatshwayo also said Zimbabwe must seriously invest in the procurement of modern equipment, including diagnostic machines.
“In Zimbabwe, between 80% and 90% of cancer cases are diagnosed late at stage 3 and 4 and this is a marker of poor oncological outcome,” Hlatshwayo said.
“Cancer services remain largely limited to central hospitals and are absent at the lower levels.
“The third pillar speaks to equitable and uninterrupted and comprehensive treatment for all patients.”
She said Zimbabwe has weak and multidisciplinary structures for cancer management.
“There is a critical shortage of specialists in the management of cancer, notably pathologists, radiologists, oncologists and other allied staff such as radiotherapists and physicists, among others,” Hlatshwayo said.
“Given the centrality of these three pillars in cancer management, I call upon the Government to ensure that funds raised through the sugar tax, airtime tax and data tax are indeed ring-fenced and directed to the intended purposes of financing cancer treatment in Zimbabwe.”
Every year, October is earmarked as Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Globally, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women.
In Zimbabwe, breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women after cervical cancer.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 99 breast cancer cases occur in women while between 0.5% to 1% occur in men.
