K65mil for cancer facilities

By JIMMY KALEBE
THE Morobe health authority (PHA) is working on a plan to build a new cancer facility and a cancer ward at a cost of K65 million, a senior official says.
PHA chief executive officer Dr Kipas Binga said they had identified a space for the facility within the hospital vicinity.
“The K65 million project will include building of the facility itself, a new cancer ward and procurement of equipment,” he said.
Dr Binga said work would start on the project once all construction work currently going on at Angau Memorial Hospital was completed and facilities were in use.
“We are not in a rush at the moment to get the facility up and running,” he said.
“We will utilise the old facility and also look at other needy areas in terms of cancer treatment.”
Dr Binga said a draft design had been given to the PHA board for approval and once approved, it would go for detail design and then a tender.
The Government had previously appropriated K15 million for the building of a new cancer facility at Angau Memorial Hospital.
Dr Binga said this money would be used as the starting capital to get the initial phase of construction going.
“To get the facility completed together with the cancer ward and the equipment needed in the facility, we will still need funding assistance from the Government and stakeholders,” he said.
The cancer unit at Angau is the national cancer centre which serves people throughout the country.
The expiration of its radiation source, lack of a specialist oncologist coupled with deteriorating infrastructure over the years has meant cancer treatment in the country has been substandard.
Dr Binga said currently, the Angau cancer unit was only treating patients through surgery and chemotherapy (providing medical drugs).
He apologised for the delay and explained that sourcing of cancer equipment and specialist was a long process as the country had none of these.