Unlike in other regions, where diagnostic services are more readily available, patients in the Northern Region face a spirited journey, both physical and emotionally, in their quest for a cancer diagnosis and treatment.
With a nearest testing facility being in Lilongwe, the process becomes a waiting game, and precious time slips away before patients can begin to confront their condition.
Samuel Gondwe, a 50-year-old tomato farmer from Luzi area under Traditional Authority Jalavikuba in Mzimba District felt a lump below his left ear in April last year.
He went to a nearby dispensary and was given medication which he took for some time but the lump did not disappear.
He decided to go to Rumphi District Hospital here he was told to buy medication at the pharmacy. He did.
However, the lump remained until he became a regular at the facility.
After a while they took samples of the swelling to Lilongwe for cancer testing.
Gondwe recounts occasions when he was sent back as specialist doctor at the district hospital was not available.
Consequently, he went to Mzuzu Central Hospital as his condition was getting worse. He started experiencing a burning sensation on his tongue and cheeks and he lost taste.
His travels to Mzuzu Central Hospital began on December 28, 2022. There he was scanned and he was told the lump had no pus in it.
He was told to return to the hospital on January 4, 2023. As he waited for the next consultation, he was experiencing a lot of pain.
He says he was spending sleepless nights and relying on energy drinks to keep him going.
When he returned to the hospital on the appointed date, he was told to return on February 6 so that they could send a sample of the lump for testing in Lilongwe.
He was told to pay K16, 000 through the bank to speed up the process.
Pictures by Patience Lunda
Gondwe did as instructed and he was told the results would be in after three weeks.
He was given pain killers. He got the results in April. He was diagnosed with cancer.
He says was told to purchase some injectables which are worth K150,000 but he could not. He did not have the money.
“The ailment has made me fail to conduct my day-to-day business of farming because I am in pains and I rely on help from people.
“I have to be thinking about how I will travel from my village to the hospital every two weeks and have to spend about two days in Mzuzu city,” he said.
Now, Gondwe visits Mzuzu Central Hospital every fortnight costing him about K20,000 in transport fare every trip.
His wife, Victoria said she has now taken the role as the head of the family as she fends for the family by selling produce such as soya beans and vegetables.
This experience is similar to many cancer patients that are in the Northern region.
Tumupe Mukumbwa, a 53-year-old lady from Chitipa District has for eight years struggled with tumours in her head. She has been operated on for three times.
To her, these were just ordinally tumours but they kept on reappearing until she decided to visit a hospital in Mbeya, Tanzania where they found out it was cancer.
Mukumbwa only speaks Ndali language and her interpreter and guardian, Samuel Chisunkha, told The Sunday Times that she had to relocate from Chitipa to Mzuzu at her cousin’s place for easy access of treatment at Mzuzu Central Hospital because it is expensive to be travelling from Chitipa to Mzuzu three times a week.
Mukumbwa said she also fails to eat and that makes her weak. Most of the time, her blood pressure keeps going up.
However, despite Mzuzu Central Hospital being a beacon of hope for offering cancer treatment to many in the region, the hospital is also facing its fair share of problems that have a direct impact on patients that visit the facility.
One of the most significant obstacles faced by Mzuzu Central Hospital is lack of adequate space. For instance, over 300 cancer patients are seen within a month at the oncology department but the room is small and all cancer patients receive their treatment in this one room.
Additionally, the hospital has no oncologist. The doctor’s office is also used as a store room, change room and also as a consultation room.
Chikondi Mandula, a clinician at the oncology department, said the hospital mostly runs out of stock of cancer drugs and they are expensive.
Mandula admitted that many people do not have a health seeking behaviour and this makes them present their cases at the hospital late and diagnosis of cancer in Lilongwe makes the burden to get heavier.
“It takes time for results to come to us and most patients come from faraway places. We need a laboratory where we can be doing most tests but as a hospital we are trying our best to serve the patients better,” he said.
We sought the comment of the Ministry of Health on these challenges. There was no response as we went to press.
According to the World Health Organisation, the cancer burden continues to grow globally, exerting tremendous physical, emotional and financial strain on individuals, families, communities and health systems.
It says many health systems in low- and middle-income countries are least prepared to manage this burden, and large numbers of cancer patients globally do not have access to timely quality diagnosis and treatment.
“In countries where health systems are strong, survival rates of many types of cancers are improving thanks to accessible early detection, quality treatment and survivorship care,” it says.
