India donates cancer detecting equipment to Malawi

The India Government recently donated breast cancer equipment to the Ministry of Health.

Minister of Health Catherine Gotani- Hara received the equipment at the function held at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe.

The state-of-the-art equipment includes four mammography and four ultrasound machines.

Gotani-Hara said the machines will go a long way in reducing deaths from breast cancer.

“The four mammography machines are used to scan women’s breast to detect cancerous lesions in them. If detected early, breast cancer can be stopped from developing or can be cured completely. These machines will help early screening,” she said.

Indian High Commissioner Vanlalhuma said the donation is a token of goodwill from the people of India.

“Women make a family happy and when they are ill there is sadness in the family. Through this donation, we are trying to assist that Malawian women live happy lives. Since the introduction of the mammography, death from breast cancer has been reduced to 30 percent in India. It is not that we are rich, but we just wanted to assist our Malawian friends,” said Vanlalhuma.

He said the equipment is part of the $1.5 million grant his government signed with the Malawi Government in 2010.

Vanlalhuma said the equipment was donated in 2012, but government at the time had no space in its hospital to install the machines.

The machines have been installed in Chitipa, Dedza, Mzuzu and Queen

Elizabeth Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre.