ENGINEERS have begun installing one of the new cancer treatment machines recently delivered to Mpilo Central Hospital, marking a significant step towards restoring and expanding radiotherapy services for patients in Zimbabwe's southern region.
The development comes after years of disruption caused by equipment breakdown that left many cancer patients without access to treatment, forcing some to travel long distances or go without critical care.
Mpilo Hospital chief biomedical equipment officer Vulindlela Dube said engineers were working on the lower-energy linear accelerator.
"Engineers are on site as we speak, working on the lower-energy machine. We are still waiting for the delivery of the multi-energy machine together with the CT scan machine," he told Southern Eye.
Dube said the supplier would install the equipment.
“Once the installations have been completed, physicists have to come in and do a quality control of the machines. It will take up to three months to finish the installation process,” he said.
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Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association director Permanent Ngoma welcomed the development, saying it will improve access to treatment for cancer patients.
“We welcome such initiatives, especially for the cancer patients. Such projects open more opportunities for residents and we are happy about such a development,” he said.
Ngoma urged government to expedite the procurement and installation of additional cancer treatment equipment.
Mpilo Hospital recently received three new cancer treatment machines through a government initiative aimed at improving oncology services across the country, funded through the sugar tax revenue.
The levy was initially set at US$0,002 per gramme of sugar before being reduced to US$0,001 in February 2024 following objections from the beverage making industry.
Reports indicate that the tax, introduced to help to combat non-communicable diseases, had generated more than US$60 million by early 2026, with over US$30 million having been collected by late 2024.
The arrival of the machines is expected to significantly strengthen Zimbabwe's cancer treatment infrastructure and improve access to life-saving oncology services.
During a recent tour of the hospital, Health and Child Care deputy minister Sleiman Kwidini said the equipment would substantially enhance Mpilo's capacity to treat cancer.
Mpilo Hospital physicist Charles Matope said the installation process would be carried out in two phases — acceptance and commissioning.
Kwidini urged the technical team to expedite the process and revealed that the government was sourcing additional radiotherapy machines from Switzerland, with plans to equip all central hospitals before expanding services.
The installation follows years of challenges at Mpilo's cancer unit. In 2022, hospital authorities reported that cancer patients requiring radiotherapy were being turned away after the facility's radiotherapy machine broke down.
Then, acting Bulawayo provincial medical director Marphios Siamuchembu said patients from the southern region had gone without radiotherapy treatment for over a year.
Mpilo Central Hospital is one of only two public health institutions in Zimbabwe that provide cancer treatment services. Its radiotherapy machine has been out of service since August 2020, severely affecting access to care for thousands of patients.