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By Ross Moyo
The Diagnostic Imaging Centre has been providing heavily subsidised radiology services to children with cancer at Parirenyatwa Hospital for 16 years, partnering with KidzCan Zimbabwe.
Dr Nancy Jonker, clinical lead at the centre, revealed this at the blessing of Rainbow Children’s Village in Belgravia.
“For the last 16 years, the Diagnostic Imaging Centre has been providing radiology services to the children that are undergoing cancer treatments at Parirenyatwa Hospital,” Jonker said.
The children are admitted in Ward A4 Special — Zimbabwe’s only public paediatric cancer ward.
“These children come from the rural districts of Zimbabwe. They often have absolutely no financial support. And they come to the tertiary hospital, which is Parirenyatwa Hospital, for treatments and investigations.”
According to the National Cancer Registry, Zimbabwe records 253-293 childhood cancers annually, but an estimated 40% go undiagnosed. 80% present late at Stage 3-4. Leukaemia, Wilms tumour and retinoblastoma are the top three.
At Parirenyatwa, CT and MRI machines are often non-functional. Private scans cost US$250-US$400 for CT and up to US$1,500 for MRI — unaffordable for most families.
“The role of the Diagnostic Imaging Centre is partnering with KidsCan, who help to fundraise to support these children to have investigations, which we do at the Diagnostic Imaging Centre,” Jonker said.
“We are able to provide services to these children at a huge discount. We do the scans very, very heavily subsidised, actually below cost, just to provide a service to these children.”
The scans — CT and MRI — are critical for diagnosis and staging.
KidzCan Executive Director Daniel Mckenzie said diagnostics are part of WHO’s Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer, which targets 60% survival by 2030. Zimbabwe currently stands at 20%.
Rainbow Children’s Village, built by Meikles Foundation, Roundtable Zimbabwe and KidzCan for US$1.57 million, provides free accommodation for children undergoing treatment, reducing abandonment.
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