Tanzania: Kcmc Launches Prostate Cancer Campaign to Save Lives

THE Moshi-based KCMC Zonal Referral Hospital in Kilimanjaro Region has begun a campaign aimed at preventing prostate cancer-related deaths by bringing services closer to residents.

The KCMC is implementing the initiative through its clinical research arm, the Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute (KCRI) in collaboration with the Moshi Municipal Council (MMC).

This was stated in Moshi, Kilimanjaro Region, on Monday, by the prostate cancer specialist at the KCMC hospital, Dr Nicolaus Ngowi during the launching of the prostate cancer indicators examinations services, which will be conducted through blood screening and ultrasound.

"These camps are aimed at providing education and counselling services related to the disease closer to residents of the northern regions of Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara and Tanga free of charge," he said.

He said the campaign will begin in Kilimanjaro Region and later on continue in the remaining regions.

He said prostate cancer could be treated completely when a person is diagnosed early and found to be having the disease's symptoms.

However specialist studies have shown that most patients who come to KCMC hospital were in a serious condition due to different reasons including that of lack of knowledge concerning the disease," he said.

More than 90 per cent of the more than 100 patients who went to KCMC and diagnosed with the prostate cancer, were in serious condition making it difficult for them to get complete treatment and instead ended up receiving intensive care to minimize pains.

"This is what led to KCMC and KCRI experts to conduct researches that led to experts deciding to leave their offices and to follow the targeted audience so as to save their lives due to the fact that the disease is one of the leading causes of a big number of deaths in the country in recent years", he noted.

Launching the campaign, the Kilimanjaro Regional Medical Officer (RMO) Dr Jairy Khanga commended KCMC, KCRI and the Moshi Municipality Council for conducting research and eventually launching the campaign, which he said complements government's efforts aimed at improving health services to its people including moving the services closer to them (residents).

"The service we are launching today and others that KCMC hospital has been providing with the use of modern equipment and technologies is a clear response to the government's that call for institutions to embark on researches that would improve health services in the country", he said.

According to him, studies conducted in 2015/2016 showed that 5 per cent of deaths in Tanzania were caused by prostate cancer making it the sixth leading killer disease.

He further stated that according to the studies, KCMC received a total of 1,487 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer, of which 78.3 per cent were from Kilimanjaro Region, 12.8 per cent from Arusha Region, 5.9 per cent from Tanga Region and 3 per cent from Manyara Region.

Earlier speaking at the event, the KCRI Director Prof Blandina Mmbaga said the exercise was a continuation of KCMC and KCRI's follow-up of patients outside the KCMC hospital to provide them with education as well as screening them for the purpose of saving their lives whereby she said other areas were those of cervical cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer and throat cancer to name but a few.

"KCRI partnered with the Urology Unit at KCMC to look on how to launch this campaign with the aim of reaching more patients so that they can get proper education, get tested and eventually be diagnosed with appropriate treatment and this is due to the fact that many did not know anything about the disease including its symptoms", she said.

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