Cancer Centre construction site sold!

Feb 16, 2016 Health 76
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Peter Mutharika

Reports that Malawi24 has show that the site where a multi million worthy Cancer Centre was meant to be constructed has been sold to a renowned businessman in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe.

According to inside sources this is after a series of reports that government has conceded failure to plant the facility which had stirred controversy two years ago on where it should be constructed with some government officials wanting it to be in Blantyre with others naming Lilongwe until a resolution to have it in Lilongwe was landed.

‘Its been sold out and that is the more reason why everything is staling’ a close source told Malawi24 earlier this week.

While Malawi24 could not independently verify this, there are reports that the project is not going as planned due to delays in purchase of construction equipment.

Peter Mutharika
Peter Mutharika; His govt is facing an uproar over the delays of the facility.

While some inside sources say that the City Council was responsible for the sale out others say it was a directive from the government.

Ministry of Health authorities were yet to respond to these claims as we went to press.

The country has been having numerous deaths of cancer because most of he people do not afford to access specialized treatment in countries such as India.

This prompted Malawi Government to borrow US$15 Million from OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) to construct and equip the National Cancer Centre which will be built near Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH).

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Health rights activists have since called for speedy process in the procurement of equipment for the cancer centre so that Malawi as a country should its own cancer hospital. Currently, Malawi Government pays huge sums of money referring patients to India for specialized treatment of cancer.

Health and Rights Education programme Executive Director Maziko Matemba says there is need for government to speed up construction of the centre. Matemba said the money is already available so delaying construction centre is being retrogressive.

“The need for Malawi to have a cancer centre is long overdue and it has been a great relief to cancer patients in Malawi. As we look at the progress of the project, there is need to speed up the project processes as expectation is high from Malawians,” said Matemba.

However, reports show that procurement processes are delaying the entire construction work as the Department of Physical Asset Management (PAM) in the ministry of health is calling shots on the whole process. PAM is being accused of meddling in the procurement of equipment for the Cancer Centre. Such interference in the project is not helping Malawians who need the centre.

Officials at Capital Hill have revealed to Malawi24 that they are not happy that PAM has already started giving instructions on what should be procured and where to procure it.

One Ministry of Health official who asked for anonymity for fear of reprisal said: “As I am speaking to you now PAM Director, Dr. Lovemore Mkukuma, has already given the names of places where equipment for the Cancer Centre should be bought.

He said that Mkukuma has recommended three companies namely Elekta, Varian and Shinva as the companies from where the cancer equipment should be sourced.”

But when contacted for his comment Mkukuma dismissed the claims and said that those talking about this issue are speaking from a platform of ignorance.

He said: “the three companies mentioned are the only companies in the world that manufacture external beam radiotherapy machines especially linear accelerators and were identified on recommendations from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna and they were shortlisted for inclusion in a tender document for contractors of civil works. The procurement process to identify a contractor is going on well at the Buildings Department in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development”.

Dr. Mkukuma added that the Cancer hospital shall be constructed as a turn-key project in which the contractor for civil works shall also be responsible for equipping the hospital with both medical and non-medical equipment before handing it over to the client.

This arrangement was part of the loan agreement with the financier of the project, OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), as this assures that the equipment to be procured is of high quality.

A cancer treatment hospital is a purpose-built and highly sophisticated facility with equipment capable of producing ionizing radiation of up to 15 Mega volts. Because of the high voltage output, the radiotherapy equipment is to be housed in bunkers with walls that are at least 2 metres thick and corridors that are at least 4 metres wide.

Currently, Malawi is referring its cancer patients to South Africa, Tanzania and India at very exorbitant costs.

However, once the project is completed and operational many cancer patients shall have the opportunity to access the services locally and the Malawi Government shall save a lot of money and forex which currently is being spent on external referrals.

More than a year ago, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning and Development, Dr. Goodall Gondwe, courted controversy from opposition political parties when he told the Parliament that the centre would be constructed in Lilongwe and later changed the tune by saying that the centre would be built next to the College of Medicine in Blantyre and not KCH, claiming that the principles of the loan felt that the centre should be constructed adjacent to a medical school.

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76 Comments

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  15. Plz Malawi24 kodi mukufuna kutiuza kuti malo agulitsidwawo ndi omwe aja aku Kamuzu central hospital wa?zinazi muziganiza musanalembe,ndiye anthu akumathangila kutukwana boma asanafufuze bwino bwino.
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  16. Plz Malawi24 kodi mukufuna kutiuza kuti malo agulitsidwawo ndi omwe aja aku Kamuzu central hospital wa?zinazi muziganiza musanalembe,ndiye anthu akumathangila kutukwana boma asanafufuze bwino bwino.
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  17. Plz Malawi24 kodi mukufuna kutiuza kuti malo agulitsidwawo ndi omwe aja aku Kamuzu central hospital wa?zinazi muziganiza musanalembe,ndiye anthu akumathangila kutukwana boma asanafufuze bwino bwino.
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  56. Mr president we hv heard that u sold lake malawi for oil refinely company then u hv sold cancer center for multmillions now the question are these ideas will help the crisis of economic growth and hunger drought which is continuasily eritating to the citizen of malawi?plz peter wa ntalika ineed yours answers

  63. It’s not only this;

    Expansion land for Limbe Health Center sold – not president koma city imeneyi…

    Plots of land in Chikwawa sold – not president or DC koma mafumu just to mention a few…

    While the president is busy preaching about the three pillars to hold our society, some less Malawians are busy selling the land. Hw pathetic

  64. It’s not only this;

    Expansion land for Limbe Health Center sold – not president koma city imeneyi…

    Plots of land in Chikwawa sold – not president or DC koma mafumu just to mention a few…

    While the president is busy preaching about the three pillars to hold our society, some less Malawians are busy selling the land. Hw pathetic

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