“We have traditionally had a strong local base of funding however with the struggling economy our local donors are stretched and cannot support our organization as much as they would like to and we desperately need,” said executive director Bev Sebastian. “We require assistance with chemotherapy and related drugs, as well as blood and blood products. Our early detection work made possible through the generosity of TEAR Australia means that we expect to see more children presenting during the early stages of cancer. While we anticipate that early detection will improve on the survival rate and the ultimate cost of treatment, we require urgent support.”
Zimbabwe is now ranked 173 on the Human Development Index (HDI) of 187 countries assessed in 2011. Reduced health funding has resulted in the loss of experienced managers and professionals at all levels of the health system. The situation has been exacerbated by the fact that the country cannot attract and retain health professionals especially as public health spending is low – only 8% of the total budget was allocated to health for 2014.
Most pediatric cancers are curable, especially if detected and treated early. But cancer mortality is high in Zimbabwe due to late presentation, inter-current disease including HIV and limited access to early detection and treatment services.
Post published in: News