The government is expanding cancer treatment services beyond Dar es Salaam as part of efforts to bring specialised care closer to patients and reduce the congestion at the Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI).
Deputy Minister for Health Dr Florence Samizi told Parliament in Dodoma yesterday that the government was investing in cancer treatment facilities at zonal hospitals to ensure patients can access essential services without travelling long distances.
Dr Samizi was responding on behalf of Health Minister Mohamed Mchengerwa to a question from Welezo MP Asma Ali Mwinyi, who wanted to know how the government planned to decentralise cancer services currently concentrated at ORCI.
She said construction of cancer treatment facilities at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital had reached 80 percent, with the project costing Sh28.9 billion.
The facility is expected to expand access to specialised cancer treatment for patients in Dodoma and neighbouring regions once completed.
At Mbeya Zonal Referral Hospital, construction of a cancer treatment facility has reached 60 percent. The project has been allocated Sh10 billion and, like the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital facility, is expected to be completed in January 2027.
The projects could significantly reduce the burden on patients who currently have to travel to Dar es Salaam for specialised cancer services.
For many patients, such journeys can mean additional expenses for transport, accommodation and food, besides the medical costs involved. Decentralising services would therefore make treatment more accessible while potentially reducing the financial burden on families.
Dr Samizi said the government had also spent Sh5.3 billion on constructing bunkers for radiotherapy machines at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) and Bugando Medical Centre.
The two facilities have started providing cancer treatment services and now have the capacity to offer radiotherapy and chemotherapy to patients, she said.
The expansion comes as the government seeks to strengthen cancer services across different levels of the health system rather than relying heavily on a single national referral facility.
“Specialised cancer services should be available closer to where people live,” Dr Samizi said, stressing the importance of reducing the distance patients travel to seek treatment.
Beyond treatment, the government is also expanding cancer screening, particularly for cervical cancer, which remains a major public health concern.
Dr Samizi said more than 1,760 health facilities, from dispensaries to national hospitals, had been equipped to provide cervical cancer screening and early treatment services.
The wider availability of screening is important because detecting cancer at an early stage can improve treatment outcomes and reduce the need for more complex and costly interventions.
The government’s approach therefore combines expansion of specialised treatment facilities with wider access to screening and early intervention.
Dr Samizi said the government would continue strengthening cancer services at various levels of the health system so that citizens can access screening, treatment and referral services in a timely and convenient manner.
The expansion is expected to gradually ease pressure on ORCI while giving patients outside Dar es Salaam greater access to specialised cancer care closer to their homes.