RB completes chemotherapy
… asks govt, private sector to improve cancer drugs provision
I HAVE successfully completed my 12 cycles of chemotherapy and feeling much stronger and better, former President Rupiah Banda has said.
And Mr Banda has called on Government and the private sector to find ways to fund and improve the access to chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of all forms of cancer and also the advanced diagnostic equipment like PET scan.
Mr Banda said he was enjoying freedom from the dreaded side effects of the drugs and hospital.
Mr Banda has since thanked President Edgar Lungu for his continued support from the time he was diagnosed with cancer of the colon.
He has also thanked medical personnel who decided that he be put on 12 cycles of chemotherapy.
"It was a tough journey for me but knowing that my family, friends and the entire nation were there praying for my recovery gave me the added strength to persevere and fight through and complete the treatment as prescribed," Mr Banda said
Meanwhile, Mr Banda pledged to work hard to request the government and the private sector to find ways to fund and improve the access to chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of all forms of cancer and also the advanced diagnostic equipment like PET scan.
“Even from my hospital bed this had been the one thought that continued to cross my mind,” he said.
Mr Banda appealed to the corporate world to join in creating a platform where all can together generate funds through donations and fundraising ventures to help patients access the much needed care for their cancers.
He urged all Zambians to take screening for different cancers very seriously.
“We have many hospitals both public and private in Zambia that can screen for these cancers. With the coming of the National Health Insurance under NHIMA and the enrolling of many public and now
I’m told private health care providers too, these screening services can be widely accessed,” said Mr Banda.