The agony of a cancer patient that portrays plight of many

Mwanza. When Timothy Mujinja was told by a doctor in June 10, 2015, that he had prostate cancer, the 50-year-old man from Igogo ward in Mwanza city had the faintest idea of the physical pain and the financial cost the disease would have on his life.

The father of four children says the sad news was relayed to him at the Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) after his medical test proved that he had prostate cancer. “The news was devastating to me.

I knew my life would never be the same again and that it was the end of me,” Timothy says. After several counselling sessions, he accepted his situation. “After the process, I knew I had a reason to live,” he narrates.

However, as he was embarking on his journey of acceptance, the unfortunate happened. He could not raise the money for chemotherapy treatment.

High cost of treating cancer

Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells. It may be used before or after surgery or radiation therapy, or together with radiation therapy. Chemotherapy treatment is meant to reduce chances that the cancer may spread to other parts of the body. But doctors suggested that he undergoes chemotherapy before his surgery operation.

“It is not easy, I was told to buy bicalutamide tablets and goserelin injection as a combination chemotherapy for my treatment which was not available in the government health facilities including the recently launched Medical Stores Department community outlet in the city,” he says.

According to him, he was required to raise Sh3.3 million to buy bicalutamide tablets for the six months dosage where a monthly dosage requires Sh250, 000 and Sh300, 000 to buy goserelin injection drugs for a period of six months.

But he failed to raise the money, and treatment was consequently. He was then advised to buy oxybutynin tablets to relieve urinary and bladder difficulties.

He bought a complete dose of oxybutynin drugs from private pharmacies at Sh90,000. “I managed to raise Sh110, 000 with support from my family and friends but instead of paying for my chemotherapy treatment, I opted to buy the oxybutynin tablets to alleviate pain,” he says.

Mr Timothy notes that he was advised to re-visit the Bugando Medical Centre despite failing to afford treatment for his chemotherapy, and he complied.

He visited the Medical Centre again on November 10, last year, and the same drugs were prescribed. “Despite the support from my extended family, I failed to raise the money to buy even half of the dosage,” he says.

Efforts to treat Mujinja put the family in financial distress. And he hopes that the government will lower costs for cancer treatment. When he visited the medical centre on December 10 again last year, doctors opted for surgery but, again, he could not raise the money. “I was required to pay Sh360,000 for the surgery after failing to afford chemotherapy drugs,” he says. adding: ”But I don’t have the money. I do not know whether I will manage to pay for the surgery, I am hoping for the best.”

Chemotherapy would still be needed after the surgery, Mujinja says. Experts say this is to prevent the cancer from spreading to other parts of the body. Dr Likonda says chemotherapy is suggested if there are chances that cancer may spread or if it has already done so.

He affirms that chemotherapy circulates throughout the body in the blood stream, adding that surgery and radiotherapy are meant to treat the area of the operation.

Prostate cancer is the most prevalent in the country

Dr Beda Likonda, an oncologist at BMC, says prostate cancer is the second most prevalent type of cancer in males after lung cancer.

He says reports by Globocan 2012, an international agency for cancer research, indicates that Tanzania registers 3,434 new cases of patients with prostate cancer annually. Dr Likonda adds that 2752 death cases are recorded annually, adding that 250 patients with prostate cancer are treated annually at the BMC cancer department. “Around the country, there is little awareness in men concerning prostate cancer.

Men don’t visit health institutions to screen for possible prostate cancer,” he notes, adding: “Most patients are detected with prostate cancer at late stages when the disease has spread to the bones.”

Many cannot afford treatment

The main challenge facing treatment in prostate cancer patients is the high cost, especially in chemotherapy treatment. A combination chemotherapy treatment for prostate cancer known as ‘systemic-hormone suppression’ requires Sh3.3 million.

Dr Derick David, the managing director of Uhuru Hospital, a private health healthcare facility in Mwanza city, proposes the introduction of a medical care fund for killer diseases such as cancer. He explains that the money could come from taxes and fees that the government can raise from things like mobile phone services.

“For example people recharging their phones with airtime can be deducted Sh10 and direct it to the medical fund to finance medical treatment for diseases such as cancer,” he says.

Can MSD help in easing drug cancer costs?

Drugs for treating complicated diseases like cancer are not distributed through the community outlet system of the Medical Stores Department (MSD) in Mwanza.

Mr Erick Makafu, the pharmacist in-charge at the MSD drug outlet, says drugs for treating cancer that are sold in private medical pharmacies are very costly, probably two or more times higher than the price at the government pharmacy outlets.

“A single dose for viral therapy to attack cancer cells is sold at Sh2 milion in the private pharmacies and same viral treatment can be given at Sh1.2 million at public facilities,” he says.

According to him, MSD is set to include in the pharmacy, an assortment of drugs for cancer patients at a cheaper price.

“We currently have 285 different assortments of medical drugs but we are intending to increase the assortment to over 1000 variety. including drugs to treat cancer,” he says.

Meanwhile, the MSD manager for the Lake Region, Mr Byekwaso Tabura, says that they are surveying among the community members here on drugs that are in demand, especially drugs to treat cancer before they dispatch medical drugs.

“We may in our dispatched load include medical drugs that are less demanded by patients here and this may lead to drugs expiring,” he says.

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