Farai Dziva|The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) has called on the Ministry to urgently attend to the breakdown of radiotherapy machines at Parirenyatwa and Mpilo hospitals.

In a statement, the ZADHR said the breakdowns were causing great danger to cancer patients countrywide.

“ZADHR is reliably informed that the radiotherapy machines have been out of service for almost a month posing a great danger to cancer patients countrywide. The two radiotherapy centres are the only government facilities that offer such specialist oncology services in the country although the Mpilo hospital machines are rarely functional,” read the statement.

ZADHR has said that cancer patients are being denied their right to healthcare as provided by the Constitution of Zimbabwe through section 76.

“Clinically, delays or interruptions in accessing radiotherapy sessions may result in tumour cell repopulation and can also require that restaging of the tumours be done when normal service resumes. This is both costly to the health system as a whole and provides harmful treatment bottlenecks to cancer patients,” read the statement.