Lesotho launches first cervical cancer treatment centre
MASERU — Health Minister Dr Pinki Manamolela yesterday officially launched Lesotho’s first cervical cancer treatment centre at the Senkatana Centre of Excellence.
The move will see Lesotho saving about M12 million which was being spent on cancer treatment in South Africa every year.
Lesotho sends 1 200 cancer patients to South Africa every year for treatment.
Manamolela said 60 percent of these patients are sent for cervical cancer treatment and with the government forking out an average M107 000 on each patient in South Africa.
With the cervical cancer screening project, the ministry aims to detect cancer early so that it can be prevented or treated.
“The Ministry of Health has identified an urgent need to save the millions spent on cancer treatment through embarking on sustainable prevention strategies,” Manamolela said.
“Cancers form a significant part of non-communicable diseases and causes about four percent of deaths in the country.”
She added: “Most cancers are treatable if detected early and cervical cancer is a good example of this.”
The minister said cervical cancer is the most common cancer among Basotho women at present.
There are 35 new cases per 100 000 females diagnosed with cervical cancer per year, she said.
“It is also worth noting that cervical cancers are accountable for the majority of deaths amongst women in our country,” she said.
In an effort to prevent this cancer the ministry adopted the Human Papilloma Virus vaccination programme for the prevention of cervical cancer among girls aged nine to 13 years.
The project started in 2009 and by 2012 all school girls between those ages had been vaccinated.
“The Ministry of Health will establish regional cervical cancer prevention centres in 2013 with rapid decentralisation to all district hospitals by 2015,” she said.
“It is envisaged capacity to screen other cancers at Botšabelo, including breast cancer and prostate cancer among others, will concurrently be developed.”
Senkatana Centre of Excellence, which has now been declared a centre for cervical cancer screening, is the national HIV referral
centre financially supported by Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation, USAID and the Ministry of Health.
Comment by Sandile on 31 January 2013:
Mantoetse Maama (author)
Do your work properly! if you report about conditions that threatens the lives of the people, give them an advice on how do you get this condition, what causes it and how can one avoid it as prevention measure. Can’t you be useful to the people of this country as a journalist?
Basotho, especially men, clean your penis, particular if uncircumsised before having intercourse with your spouse. Lipapa on the penis ke tsona tse kulisang basali ba rona..
Comment by Sabrina on 31 January 2013:
Ke khatelopele e ntle ena. Pele ea pele!!
Comment by Fuufu on 31 January 2013:
He monna Sandile oa pota oa utloa, moo tsamaee ono etsa lipatlisiso pele o ngola ntho tsena tsa hao,
Comment by tumelo on 1 February 2013:
Sandile tlohela mepoto.haeke akare o tseba letho ka health system.tlohela ho pota botsa utla arabuoa,u ruoe tsebo.shit. good job minister we congratulates you.keep it up.
Comment by Lerato on 1 February 2013:
Rona bakuli ba cancer rea leboha haele mona setsi se butsoe ka molao Lesotho mona, re mpa re kopa feela hore basebetsi ba teng ts’oaro e be e hlollang, hobane koana Mangaung ka nnete re fuoa tlhokomelo e khaphatsehang, motho oa lefu leno o hloka tlhokomelo eohle eohle le mamello e khethehileng ea mooki. Hape re kopa e mpe e be batho ba rupeletsoeng ka ho feletseng ka lefu lena.
Comment by monnannete on 1 February 2013:
Hona ke pereko hee….
Comment by Nchanyana on 1 February 2013:
Sandy! Sandy! Ntja khale koma li le lipapa kankere entse e se ngata. Ako batle hantle.
Comment by Swalakahla on 2 February 2013:
mohlolomong ha ke utloe sekhooa sena; ha ke bone taba ea treatment ea cancer ena e hlalositsoe mona. ke bona ho buua ka csreening, e le hoba Lesotho le ne le ntse le sa screene Cx CA b4?
Sandile, tsa mo bala ngoaneso!
Comment by Lekhoakhoa on 3 February 2013:
Life in Lesotho gets wasted because we have people like Sandile, who write before they think! Cancer can be defeated as long as it is caught early. What we now have to do is go and teach our brothers and sisters to seek treatment as soon as possible.
Comment by bophelo on 3 February 2013:
Job well done so far mme pinki,it seems lyk u luv ur job unlike de btful mme mphu.pele ya pele mme,modimo ao hlonolofatse
Comment by element on 4 February 2013:
thank you a million times our coalition goverment, now let those peanut sized brains called DC critisize. l dare you
Comment by Molantoa on 5 February 2013:
Sandile, na ekaba o ngoana MoAfrika? Puo tsa hao ke tsa leqai le senag thuto le boitsoaro. O bua seka ngoana senang moetlo, hobane ha eba ona le ona nka be o tseba hore boholo ba batho bantsa’ng maikutlo mona ke baholo ba hao. Se, ntho mpe e ea tso’eloa. O se kenyetse ‘me le ntate ba o tsoalang lihlong!
Comment by Sandile on 5 February 2013:
Nchanyana khale basotho ba shoa mahaeng koana ba sa tsebe na ba bolaoa keng. Ba qetella bare ba bolaoa ke boloi.
Molantoa le bohle ba reng kea pota, basotho le batho ba sa batleng ha motho a otla masepa hloohong ka koto. Hantle ntle ha le batle nnete, lea e ts’aba. Ebile kea tseba le utloisisa hampe ha ntho li tolokoa ka sekhooa. So here we go:
Cervical cancer is cause by a sexually transmitted virus called HPV.More than half of all men and women who are sexually active will be infected by the human papillomavirus (HPV) at some time in their lives.In men, HPV targets the squamous epithelium found beneath the foreskin (mucosal site) of the penis, vulva, vagina, cervix, anus or bladder. Specifically the basal epithelial cell layer, the deepest epidermal layer, is necessary for HPV replication. The virus gains access to this depth of the squamous epithelium via micro-wounds and abrasions. During subsequent wound repair basal cells upregulate integrin which interacts with L1, a capsid protein, found on the surface of the HPV virion. This interaction promotes internalization of the virus. Evidence to support this process of HPV gaining cell entry has been shown by the use of antibodies targeting capsid proteins L1 and L2 that results in blocking attachment of virions to the basal epithelial cells during micro-wound healing. Circumcision also reduces the risk of HPV infection, although the mechanism of protection is not clearly defined. The removal of the foreskin may decrease the occurrence of micro traumas to the squamous epithelial layer beneath the foreskin thereby decreasing the opportunity for HPV replication in this area. However infection can take place anywhere on the penis including the penile shaft, glans/corona and scrotum.
Washing (good hygiene) with soap before and after sex will help you clean away germs (in this case on the foreskin)from infecting you or reduce replicating (number of viruses) than can infect your partner. Do you think Zuma took a shower for nothing after sleeping that lady? Think again…..
Comment by Jurist on 5 February 2013:
Chuo! Monna Sandile ho bona, ba kenele.
Comment by Sandile on 5 February 2013:
Basotho ho bolla (circumcision)ho thusa ho ba hygienic and LESS vulnerable ho li STIs. Please mind that big capitals of the word less. A lot of you will start to say ke itse circumcision protects people from infection. Ha o sa bolla, hlapa ntate! Ha ho no ts’oana le ha o sa hlapa! All illitrates who critized me i’m not suprised because i can see that you don’t even know that cervical cancer can be caused by sexually transmitted virus called called HPV. Circumcision in health matters and STIs is an old practice and i hope you are at least informed about that. It seems that you only know about HIV and in the dark about other STIs.
Comment by Sandile on 5 February 2013:
Lekhoakhoa, prevention is better than cure sir. First lets encourage people to ABC abstain, faithful,condomise. Ha ba se ba ithlotse, ha ba bolle. Then we can encourage them for routing check ups.
Comment by ajugo daba on 6 February 2013:
The article is about cervical cancer and the only way to prevent it in those who have already been infected with HPV is for them to have PAP SMEARS every 2 years ,this helps to pick up pre-cancers and this can be treated. This your talk about washing the penis is a load of rubbish Sandile.
Comment by Sandile on 6 February 2013:
Ajugo, men will minimise their chances of contracting this HPV if circumsised. And those who are uncircumsised should be encouraged to maintain good hygiene, i.e. wash their pipi often, preferably before sex and after. Thats basic hygiene. Is your pipi uncircumsised? Why is circumcision encouraged in SA? to minimise HIV infection.