New centre brings new hope

W ith facilities like these, there is hope for those diagnosed with cancer.

This was the message from Namibia’s vice president, Nangolo Mbumba, at the official opening of the Namibia Oncology Centre (NOC) in Khomasdal, which he described as a milestone in the ongoing efforts to bring hope to cancer sufferers who require treatment and radiotherapy.

Mbumba stressed that the country’s health sector is critical to the overall national development. According to him, Namibia has been dependent on neighbouring countries for several years for access to certain specialised services for cancer sufferers.

“Namibia was behind in providing reliable treatment for cancer patients, but with the opening of NOC’s first branch in 2015 in Windhoek, some of the treatment options became available,” he said.

However, this was not enough to serve the increasing number of patients, and services were further extended to Swakopmund.

NOC’s Khomasdal branch strives to provide a reliable and sustainable solution to Namibian patients undergoing radiotherapy. According to Mbumba, NOC and the Ministry of Health and Social Services also have an agreement to treat state patients at the centre.

Mbumba said that a cancer diagnosis can be traumatic, but the earlier the cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better the person’s chances of survival. “With facilities like these, there is hope for those who are diagnosed with cancer. No matter what the situation is or how frightening it can be, there is always hope.”

At the same event, NOC’s general manager, Anthea van Wyk, said that technology for cancer care has progressed tremendously over the past two decades and is changing the way cancer is approached. “Along with this progress, there has also been a drastic increase in the demand for cancer care as the number of people diagnosed with cancer continues to rise at an alarming rate.”

According to her, the need for specialised care is growing despite the best efforts of dedicated health professionals in both the public and private sectors and non-governmental organisations such as the Cancer Society of Namibia (CAN) which offer, among other things, early detection programs.

“The NOC’s aim is to provide the latest technology combined with the expertise of highly specialised staff to provide Namibians with cancer with the best care available today.”

Van Wyk says the new facilities in Khomasdal house one of the most versatile and technologically advanced radiotherapy treatment modules in the world. “Thanks to the cooperation of our dedicated team of clinical and radiation oncologists, medical physicians, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and administrative and support staff, the centre offers modern radiotherapy treatment to patients at all levels of society with a variety of both malignant and some non-malignant diseases.”