WE live in a world overshadowed by diseases. From the devastation of HIV/Aids in the 1990s and malaria's persistent threat to the swift and deadly toll of Covid-19 in the 2020s, millions have perished. Amid these battles, there remains a silent and unrelenting killer: cancer.
It is Pink October, a month dedicated to breast cancer awareness. This global campaign serves as a reminder to increase awareness, share knowledge, and inspire action.
But in Zimbabwe, where breast cancer accounts for a significant portion of cancer-related deaths, raising awareness must go beyond a mere annual observance. The time has come for a serious and sustained commitment to combating cancer in all its forms. Let us have a candid discussion about this leading cause of death worldwide.
According to the latest available data from the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry, breast cancer accounted for 7% of cancer deaths in 2019. That year, 2 416 lives were lost to cancer — numbers that tell a tragic story of delayed diagnosis, inadequate treatment, and a lack of comprehensive healthcare.
Alarmingly, these figures are already five years old, highlighting the failure to maintain up-to-date records. With an estimated 8 500 new cancer cases diagnosed annually, Zimbabwe’s data shortcomings underscore the urgent need for a more robust health infrastructure.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 2,3 million people are diagnosed with breast cancer globally each year, making it the most common cancer. The disease accounts for one in eight cancer cases across all sexes and a quarter of all cancers among women.
Tragically, 70% of breast cancer deaths occur in low-resource countries like Zimbabwe, where limited access to healthcare and high costs present insurmountable barriers for many.
In 2021, WHO launched the Global Breast Cancer Initiative to reduce mortality by 2,5% annually by 2040, aiming to save 2,5 million lives by promoting early detection, timely diagnosis, and comprehensive management.
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However, in Zimbabwe, cancer patients often seek medical help only at advanced stages when treatment options are limited and outcomes grim. Many seek medical attention when it is already stage four, which will be difficult to treat.
The reasons are complex but unsurprising: exorbitant medical costs, lack of accessible care, and a crumbling public health system.
Not many people can afford US$100 for consultation fee for a specialist physician and hundreds for scans and other tests.
The reality in Zimbabwe’s hospitals is harrowing. Public facilities like Parirenyatwa and Mpilo have become synonymous with despair rather than hope. I have seen first-hand the scenes of patients queuing for radiotherapy in the blazing sun, enduring unbearable conditions for a chance at life.
The high cost of cancer management — from diagnostic tests to treatment — renders it unattainable for most, creating a healthcare crisis that demands urgent government action.
This October, the government must not just acknowledge the fight against cancer; it must intensify it.
Prioritising healthcare infrastructure over luxury expenditures is a moral imperative. Zimbabwe’s leaders have consistently chosen to spend millions on extravagant cars — Mercedes-Benzes, Land Cruisers, Range Rovers — while neglecting the basic needs of ailing citizens. This is taxpayers’ money squandered on vanity while people die needlessly from treatable illnesses.
The disparities are glaring: those in power can afford to fly abroad for treatment in South Africa, India, China, or Singapore. The late president Robert Mugabe's death in a Singapore hospital in 2019 epitomised the legacy of a healthcare system left in ruins.
Decades after independence, Zimbabwe’s hospitals remain stuck in the past, with little more than name changes to show for years of under-investment. The transformation from Harare Hospital to Sally Mugabe Hospital, or from Mutare Provincial to Victoria Chitepo, has done nothing to address the chronic inadequacies within
The government must do better. Public officials, who enjoy the trappings of luxury at the expense of overburdened taxpayers, owe it to the people who elected them to prioritise healthcare. The cost of inaction is measured in human lives.
As Pink October unfolds, let this month serve as a call to arms, not just for raising awareness but for demanding change.
Let it be the moment we insist on a healthcare system that offers hope, rather than despair, to every Zimbabwean. The fight against cancer is not just a medical battle; it is a fight for dignity, equity, and justice. It is time to prioritize life over luxury.
As espoused in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Everyone has the right to medical care.
