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Uganda’s Only Radiotherapy Machine Broken, Cancer Patients at Risk

© Flickr / Erin BourgoisMulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda
Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda - Sputnik International
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The only radiotherapy machine for treating cancer patients in all of Uganda has broken down beyond repair, officials at the cancer unit have said.

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According to africanews.com, the only radiotherapy machine in Uganda is finally broken down beyond repair, rendering tens of thousands of cancer patients unable to receive their treatment.

The device has been donated to Mulago Hospital in 1995, and even then it was in second-hand state.  Since then, it underwent several repairs, but this time attempts failed, said Christine Namulindwa, a spokeswoman of cancer unit at Mulago Hospital.

The unit gets 44,000 new referrals annually from Uganda and other neighbouring countries including Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. About 75 percent may require radiotherapy, while others could be treated with chemotherapy and surgery.

Dr. Jackson Orem, the director of cancer treatment at Uganda's ministry of health said that even if the machine could be repaired this time, it would be too dangerous to use it, since badly focused radiation can inflict serious harm to the patients.

According to Dr. Orem, the new machine could be delivered within next year, but there are technical difficulties, such as need for building of new facilities that delay shipment of a new device. Until then, patients will have to travel to neighboring Kenya in case they can afford it.

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