New equipment will boost cancer treatment at Frere
Health MEC unveils hi-tech machines worth nearly R100m at East London hospital
Hundreds of patients waiting for radiation treatment for cancer will finally be attended to as the department of health unveiled new equipment worth R96m and a tunnel washer worth R18m on Thursday at Frere Hospital.
Health MEC Nomakhosazana Meth unveiled the new equipment to address the backlog in treating cancer patients.
The linear accelerator machine, also referred to as Linac, is used for external beam radiation treatments for cancer patients. The linear accelerator complements other treatment options, such as surgery and chemotherapy, which are already in use at the hospital.
Cancer patient Nowethu Jamangile, from Butterworth, was diagnosed with cervical cancer and admitted at the hospital on April 16.
“Upon my admission, I was not in a bad state, though there were mild body aches.
“Unfortunately, I had to wait for two weeks, because the old machine was not working properly.
“I started radiation therapy on May 2.
“Ever since then, there has been a major difference.
“I have not been suffering from any pain.”
The 53-year-old said she was hopeful the backlog of patients would decrease and that the new equipment would help her fight the disease.
“We have not used the new equipment yet.
“But we were told that there are some staff members who are being trained on how to use the equipment,” Jamangile said.
“Hopefully we will use [the new equipment] as soon as possible.”
Meth said the new Linac would soon reduce the backlog for radiation treatment.
“Initially we were using the old machine, which was not advanced compared to the new equipment we have procured.
“The new one is able to detect the actual tumour that the patient has, so we are hoping to reduce the waiting time.
“We are excited that we now have complete machinery with both the Linac and the CT scanner, which will work together, as one is for assessing the disease and the other for [treating patients],” she said.
About 50 patients would be able receive radiation therapy from the new equipment each day, she added.
“The machine is high speed, which will improve our turnaround time, and I believe the accuracy of the machine will help the doctors in detecting how serious the cancer is, and how long [it will take to] be treated.”
Meth said the new CT scanner was more advanced than the old one, as it was digitalised and automated.
The new tunnel washer for patients’ laundry is also technologically advanced.
The washing machine takes one to two hours to complete a huge washing cycle.
According to SA Medical Research Council data, the highest priority cancers in the Eastern Cape for women are breast and cervical cancer.
For men, it is prostate, oesophageal and lung cancer.
The council says a concerted effort is required to fight cancer and save lives.
The research council said vigorous health promotion campaigns, with emphasis on lifestyle modification were needed, as well as educating people on symptoms. This could improve early detection so that people could be treated with the new equipment.
Frere CEO Mmabatho Ndwandwe said cancer remained a priority at the hospital, which had a catchment area that included 24 referring institutions, as it remained the leading cause of death.
Ndwandwe said patients were referred to Frere Hospital for treatment and that patient influx brought challenges and delays in accessing treatment.
But that would be addressed with these new machines.
“Hi-tech oncology machines are required to address these challenges.
“A concerted effort to fight cancer and save lives is required and aggressive health promotion with emphasis on lifestyle modification is imperative,” Ndwandwe said.
She emphasised the importance of educating communities about the symptoms of priority cancers.
“People of all ages should do routine screening and continuous evaluation of the effect of the HPV vaccine among young girls.”