Category: Zambia

Zambia: Scale Up Cancer Sensitisation in Rural Areas

A LOCAL non-profit organisation that provides support, information, and advocacy to children with cancer and their families, has released troubling statistics indicating that childhood cancer cases are on the rise in the rural parts of Zambia.

Increased cancer rates are apt to stir concern among parents and rightly so.

It is unfortunate that childhood cancer cases are rising at a time that the national health system is grappling with the burden of adult cancer rates which sadly – going by how busy the Lusaka-based Cancer Diseases Hospital is – are on an upward trajectory as well.

Available data collected by various researchers show increased childhood cancer rates likely stem from environmental factors.

Over the past four decades, the environment has changed significantly, with more and more chemicals entering the air and water, combined with genetic traits.

Cancer Diseases Hospital (CDH) head of clinical care Susan Msadabwe said although childhood cancer cannot be cured, dealing with the disease required early detection and treatment.

The World Health Organisation has identified cancer as a leading cause of death for children and adolescents. The likelihood of surviving a diagnosis of childhood cancer depends on the country in which the child lives. In high-income countries with robust health care systems, more than 80 per cent of children with cancer are cured, but in many low and medium income countries (LMICs) like Zambia, less than 30 per cent are cured.

The reasons for lower survival rates in LMICs include: delay in diagnosis, an inability to obtain an accurate diagnosis, inaccessible therapy, abandonment of treatment, death from toxicity (side effects), and avoidable relapse.

Read More

Zambia: Roll Out Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Services

Pharmacists Jerome Kanyika has shared his opinion on the disturbing rise in suicide cases.

He strongly believes the ease with which prescription drugs can be accessed is partially to blame for the rise in suicides and attempted suicides.

This is because prescription level drugs strong enough to kill a fully grown human when taken in excess are being sold by some pharmacies like day-to-day over-the-counter medicines.

To a large extent, we believe his observations have merit and deserve to be investigated.

However, there is a darker side not being spoken about enough related to the suicides — mental health.

The unfortunate deaths recorded have exposed the inefficiencies in Zambia’s national health care system that is often overlooked and underfunded.

The several suicides in the span of one month have placed much needed focus on mental health.

Close to half a dozen teenagers have taken their lives linked to their abysmal failure at grade 12.

Outside of these exam-stress related deaths, we have had yet more suicides among the adult population weighed down emotional stress and financial burdens like debt who feel the only way out is to kill themselves.

This clearly shows that a large number of our population has mental health and substance abuse issues of varying degrees that are not being addressed by our health care system.

Read More

Zambia: How Zambia Has Reduced Maternal Deaths By 300% in 16 Years

UNFPA East and Southern Africa (Johannesburg)

Mongu — “Growing up in a remote village, I witnessed my grandmother, a traditional birth attendant, assisting women and girls to deliver babies. She would perform these deliveries at home, using local herbs to try and address complications,” said Michelle Simukayi, a student at Lewanika College of Nursing and Midwifery in Western Province.

“Many mothers and their newborns lost their lives during pregnancy and delivery. This made me sad,” she said.

She observed how the lives of pregnant women in her village in in Shibuyunji District of Central Province were at risk due to limited access to information and long distances to health facilities, and decided to do something about it. After completing high school, she began researching the topic of maternal deaths and came across a book, Sellers’ Midwifery by Pauline McCall Sellers. It changed the course of her life.

“I was determined to become a midwife to save the lives of women and girls in remote rural areas,” said Michelle, now a third year student pursuing a Diploma in Nursing and Midwifery.

While studying full time, she also provides information and services to women, young people, and newborn babies at Lewanika General Hospital. Here, her experience has made her aware of the diverse challenges faced by nurses and midwives in the call of duty, especially in remote rural facilities. She remains optimistic about her chosen career and looks forward to completing her studies so that she can begin saving lives in earnest.

Reducing Zambia’s maternal and newborn deaths

Zambia has made significant strides in the past two decades to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes. The maternal mortality rate dropped nearly 300 per cent in 16 years – from 729 deaths for every 100,000 live births in 2002, to 278 deaths per 100,000 in 2018.

What has been critical in this achievement is greater availability of skilled midwifery personnel. The number of births assisted by a skilled attendant more than doubled over the same period, from 42 per cent in 2002 to 80 per cent in 2018.

Read More