Niël Terblanché
The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), in partnership with the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) and Langer Heinrich Uranium Mine (LHU), officially opened the Swakopmund Breast Clinic at the Swakopmund State Hospital last Tuesday.
The facility is part of a wider initiative to decentralise cancer screening and care services in Namibia.
It operates every Tuesday from 08h00 to 13h00 and is one of two such clinics established in the Erongo Region, the second located at Walvis Bay State Hospital.
The Walvis Bay clinic is expected to be inaugurated soon.
Sanet de Waal, Head of the CAN Erongo Centre, said the establishment of the clinic was a result of collaboration with the AB May Cancer Care Centre of the MoHSS in Windhoek, with the aim of expanding breast and prostate cancer screening services to all regions.
“Improving cancer screening in our regions, especially the screening for breast and prostate cancer, which are the two most prevalent cancers in Namibia, is a priority for us,” she said.
The rollout of regional breast clinics is aligned with CAN’s commitment to the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), of which it is a member.
“For CAN, these clinics are part of the ‘Close the Care Gap’ initiative of the UICC that addresses inequities worldwide in the availability of and access to essential cancer services,” she said.
She added that the recently released World Cancer Day 2024 Equity Report provided clear recommendations to governments, which CAN takes seriously.
“We keep on asking ourselves what we can do better to help close the care gap in Namibia,” she said
The Swakopmund Breast Clinic was made possible with the support of LHU, which partnered with MoHSS and CAN to help establish the clinics in the region.
“We are thankful for LHU, who share our vision and who stepped up to support this initiative… to improve the lives of Namibians, by supporting healthcare projects,” she said.
LHU’s managing director, Johan Roux, said the project aligned with the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility goals.
“This initiative aligns with LHU’s CSR goals, as it benefits our community, including our employees and their families,” he said.
Dr Anna Jonas, director of the MoHSS in Erongo, expressed appreciation for LHU’s involvement and underlined the importance of bringing cancer services closer to communities.
“We have seen the results of these clinics in the regions. Since the establishment of the Breast Clinic here in Swakopmund, we have managed to get patients to treatment faster, meaning that we are improving the treatment outcome of patients,” she said.
Before the clinics were introduced in the regions, patients were referred to Windhoek, often experiencing long delays before accessing treatment.
Dr Jonas noted that these waiting periods have been reduced from months to weeks for most patients.
CAN has reiterated its commitment to continue working with the health ministry to improve cancer awareness, screening, treatment, and care.
