Malawi National Cancer Center

Last updated

Malawi National Cancer Center
Malawi Ministry of Health & Development Partners
Malawi National Cancer Center
Malawi adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Geography
Location Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi
Coordinates 13°58′28″S33°47′17″E / 13.97444°S 33.78806°E / -13.97444; 33.78806
Organisation
Care system Public
Type Cancer Treatment, Research and Teaching
History
Opened2020;4 years ago (2020)
Links
Other links List of hospitals in Malawi
Healthcare in Malawi

Malawi National Cancer Centre (MNCC), also Malawi National Cancer Treatment Centre (MNCTC), is a public, specialized, tertiary care medical facility owned by the Malawi Ministry of Health. Since 2020, the facility's administrative department is temporarily housed within Kamuzu Central Hospital, in Nangwagwa (Area 33), in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. Construction is ongoing for a stand-alone cancer unit separate but adjacent to the hospital. This is the first and only cancer treatment unit in the country. [1] [2]

Contents

Overview

MNCC is a cancer treatment, research, and teaching center, affiliated with the Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), the tertiary referral hospital in the city of Lilongwe, serving both the Northern and Central regions of Malawi. Since early 2020 MNCC maintains an administrative office inside KCH and temporarily houses some oncology patients on the wards of KCH. The temporary administrative and clinical leaders of the project are drawn from the national ministry of health and the KCH. [1]

The MNCC is a collaborative effort that involves the following institutions and entities:

  1. The Malawi Ministry of Health [1] [2]
  2. The University of North Carolina [1] [3]
  3. Baylor College of Medicine [1] [4]

Background

Malawi is a Southern African country, with a population of about 23 million as of 2023. [5] Of that number, it is estimated that 84 percent live in rural areas, far away from healthcare facilities capable of diagnosing and treating their malignancies. [3]

Malawi's National Cancer Control Strategic Plan 2019–2029, has its objectives arranged the following broad headlines: [6]

  1. Cancer prevention
  2. Screening and early diagnosis
  3. Treatment and follow-up care
  4. Palliative care and survivorship
  5. Governance and financing
  6. Cancer control research, monitoring and evaluation.

To achieve objectives 2 and 3 a plan was conceived to open a free-standing cancer center to carry out comprehensive diagnosis, classification, treatment, rehabilitation, training and research in the most prevalent adult and pediatric cancers in Malawi. [6] [7]

Construction cost and funding

In 2014 the government of Malawi, through the Malawian ministry of health borrowed US$13.15 million to establish MNCC. The total project cost was budgeted at US$14.75 million, with the national government contributing US$1.60 million. The loan was sourced from the OPEC Fund for International Development. The table below illustrates the sources of funding for the construction of the cancer centre. [8]

Malawi National Cancer Centre Construction Funding
RankDevelopment PartnerContribution in US DollarsPercentageNotes
1 OPEC Fund for International Development 13.15 million
89.15
Loan [8]
2Government of Malawi1.60 million
10.85
Equity [8]
Total14.75 million
100.00

Developments

As of August 2023, the construction of the MNCC is ongoing. The infrastructure includes in-patient wards for cancer patients, an outpatient unit, administrative offices, laboratories, radiology, radiotherapy and nuclear medicine infrastructure. Prior to the establishment of the cancer centre, there were no radiotherapy or nuclear medicine facilities in the country. [2] [8]

As of December 2023, it was expected that the completed new facility will be ready to come online in March 2024. [9] The project, whose construction began in 2018, had a planned completion window of 18 months. However, lack of appropriate expertise, death of an expert consultant and other factors led to delays. [10] [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilongwe</span> Capital city of Malawi

Lilongwe is the capital and largest city of Malawi. It has a population of 989,318 as of the 2018 Census, up from a population of 674,448 in 2008. In 2020 that figure was 1,122,000. The city is located in the central region of Malawi, in the district of the same name, near the borders with Mozambique and Zambia, and it is an important economic and transportation hub for central Malawi. It is named after the Lilongwe River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blantyre</span> Place in Southern Region, Malawi

Blantyre is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with a population of 800,264 as of 2018. It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe. It is the capital of the country's Southern Region as well as the Blantyre District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chileka International Airport</span> Airport in Malawi

Chileka International Airport is an international airport in Malawi. It is located approximately 13 km, by road, northwest of Blantyre, the second largest city in the Republic of Malawi and the country's commercial and financial capital. Chileka is Malawi's second international airport, the other being Kamuzu International Airport, in Lilongwe, the nation's capital city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Malawi</span> University in Zomba, Malawi

The University of Malawi (UNIMA) is a public university established in 1965 and until 4 May 2021, when the university underwent a delinking, was composed of four constituent colleges located in Zomba, Blantyre, and Lilongwe. Of the four colleges, the largest is Chancellor College in Zomba. It is part of the Malawian government educational system. The last Vice-Chancellor was Professor John Kalenga Saka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Strikers FC</span> Malawian professional football club

Silver Strikers Football Club is a Malawian professional football club based in Lilongwe, currently playing in the TNM Super League, the top division of Malawian football. The club was founded in 1977 as a social team for staff at the Reserve Bank of Malawi, hence the club’s nickname The Bankers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Capital Bank Malawi Limited</span> Malawian commercial bank

First Capital Bank Malawi Plc, formerly known as First Merchant Bank Plc, is a commercial bank in Malawi. It is licensed by the Reserve Bank of Malawi, the central bank and national banking regulator. It is a subsidiary of FMB Capital Holdings.

Healthcare in Malawi and its limited resources are inadequate to fully address factors plaguing the population, including infant mortality and the very high burden of diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

Kamuzu Central Hospital is a tertiary referral hospital in the city of Lilongwe,. It is estimated to have 780 beds, although the true number of patients always exceeds the number of beds. It serves approximately 5 million people, referred from five district hospitals and from other parts of Malawi and parts of neighboring Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malawian Defence Force</span>

The Malawi Defence Force is the state military organisation responsible for defending Malawi. It originated from elements of the British King's African Rifles, colonial units formed before independence in 1964.

Mwanza is a town in Malawi on the border with Mozambique. It is the administrative headquarters for Mwanza District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulendo Airlink</span> Airline of Malawi

Nyasa Express is a Malawian airline that offers both seat rate and charter commercial air services from their base at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe, Malawi. The company began operations in 2011, and provides services throughout Malawi and the region. The airline currently operates a fleet of four propeller aircraft models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India–Malawi relations</span> Bilateral relations

India–Malawi relations refers to the international relations that exist between India and Malawi.

Grace Chiumia, is a Malawian politician who has served as Minister of Civic education in the Malawian cabinet, since 24 October 2017. Before her current appointment, she was the Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, in the Malawian Cabinet, from 6 September 2016 until 24 October 2017.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Lilongwe, Malawi.

The University of Malawi College of Medicine (UMCM), also Malawi College of Medicine in Blantyre, is a constituent college of the University of Malawi, the oldest and largest public university in the country. The college houses the Faculty of Medicine of the University, and is the only medical school in Malawi.

Peter Nicholas Kazembe was a Malawian pediatrician, well known internationally for his work in pediatric antiretroviral therapy and treatment of malaria. He was one of the first two pediatricians in the country and was often considered the "grandfather of pediatrics" in Malawi. He is credited with publishing over 250 journal articles in his field. He was the Director of the Baylor International Pediatric Program and an associate professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to this, he played a role in pioneering Malawi's pediatric HIV/AIDS care treatment guidelines, and was also the Director of Malawi's first HIV clinic and Chief of Pediatrics at Kamuzu Central Hospital.

Hitesh Anadkat is a Malawian businessman, investor and philanthropist. He is the founder of the African banking group FMB Capital Holdings.

Katelele Ching'oma was a Malawian musical artist and songwriter known for his breakthrough hit song "Asowe" in 2009 and other songs. He released his debut album Ndili Nawo Mwayi in 2011.

The International Blantyre Cancer Centre (IBCC) is a private, specialized, tertiary care medical facility owned by the Thomson and Barbara Mpinganjira Foundation. As of December 2023, the facility was under construction, with operationalization originally scheduled for January 2024. It is the first and only free-standing cancer treatment and research centre in Malawi's Southern Region.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 ESMO (July 2022). "Kamuzu Central Hospital - National Cancer Center". European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). Lugano, Switzerland. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Fazilla Tembo (10 August 2023). "Malawi: Minister Chiponda Says Cancer Centre to Open in December 2023" (via AllAfrica.com). Nyasa Times . Blantyre, Malawi. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  3. 1 2 UNC-IGHID (18 August 2023). "UNC Project Malawi Cancer Program". UNC Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases (UNC-IGHID). Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  4. ↑ Baylor Foundation Malawi (18 August 2023). "Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation – Malawi (Baylor Foundation Malawi)". Lilongwe, Malawi. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  5. ↑ CIA (8 August 2023). "The World Factbook: Malawi Summary". Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Langley, Virginia, United States. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  6. 1 2 ICCP (2019). "Malawi National Cancer Control Strategic Plan 2019-2029". International Cancer Control Partnership (ICCP). London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  7. ↑ Talya Meyers (18 July 2019). "Malawi's Changing Cancer Landscape". DirectRelief. Santa Barbara, California, United States. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 OPEC Fund (10 October 2014). "Malawi National Cancer Treatment Center". OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund). Geneva, Switzerland. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  9. ↑ Wanga Gwende (27 December 2023). "Cancer Centre To Be Operational In March 2024". Nyasa Times . Blanyre, Malawi. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  10. ↑ Johnny Kasalika (22 August 2023). "Cancer centre delays cost K1bn annually". The Nation (Malawi) . Blantyre, Malawi. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  11. ↑ Kondwani Magombo (5 February 2024). "Malawi National Cancer Centre ready by end March". Malawi News Agency . Lilongwe, Malawi. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.