First Lady Christine Kaseba has observed that there was need to make more affordable and easily accessible cancer care services in order to serve the lives being lost at a high rate.
Speaking at a Cancer Awareness launch organised by the Cancer Support Network of Zambia at Edinburgh Hotel in Kitwe last night, Dr Kaseba observed that Zambia was recording an increasing number of cancer cases with 1 600 new cases recorded every year at the Cancer hospital in Lusaka with cancer of the cervix on top accounting for 38 percent of all cancers while breast cancer was around 11 per cent. She added that every year about 1 300 women die from cervical cancer in Zambia.
Dr Kaseba said screening of cervical cancer should be incorporated in screening exercises of frequently screened diseases such as breast cancer, diabetics and hypertension among others so that most cancer cases are detected in the early stage and treatment sought unlike the current trend where women were shunning screening of cervical cancer.
She also noted that vaccination of girls against the Human Papilloma virus, the virus that causes cancer, would greatly help in the prevention of the disease although she observed that the vaccine was currently too expensive for most developing countries.
She bemoaned that cancer especially cervical cancer was the leading cause of deaths among women especially those who were highly productive depriving the country of the people who could have contributed to the country’s development.
However, the first lady acknowledged that Zambia as a country had made positive strides in the fight against cancer through the recently opened cancer hospital with modern equipment and skilled officers, in Lusaka but noted that the services needed to be expanded to all parts of the country.
She added that there was also need to improve the quality of services offered and that cancer medical officers should be skilled so as to put to an end to cancer patients seeking medical treatment outside the country
The first lady further observed that the rapid increase in cancer cases in Zambia needed concerted efforts on prevention from all stakeholders through creation of public –private partnerships to supplement the Ministry of Health in the fight against the disease.
She said the cancer fight and awareness also called for coordinated national and international cooperation.
Dr Kaseba urged women and girls to willingly go for cancer testing so that the disease could be detected early and be treated.
She thanked the Cancer Support Network of Zambia for their support in the fight against the disease.
And Cancer Support Network of Zambia Chairperson Doreen Grant said the Copperbelt had the highest number of cancer cases due to lack of awareness on the disease and limited access to the cancer care services due to the centralised location of the service provider which was away from the province.
At the same occasion Copperbelt Province Minister John Kufuna said it was imperative for everyone in the country to take part in the fight against cancer because of its magnitude and negative effect towards the country’s development.
He urged the Cancer Support Network of Zambia and all members of the public to fight cancer with the same vigour the Patriotic Front government had taken in the fight against corruption.
Earlier, Kitwe Mayor Chileshe Bweupe observed that Cancer had become an increasing cause of death in the city and called for concerted efforts from all stakeholders in the fight against the disease.
Mr Bweupe also urged members of the public especially women to go for cancer testing to reduce death causes resulting from Cancer.
Meanwhile, first lady Dr Christine Kaseba today flagged off the Breast Cancer Awareness walk which took place in Kitwe.
ZANIS
I totally agree madam First lady
Quality First Lady. possibly the first ever in the history of Zambia. Dr Kaseba is like Hilary Clinton who was First Lady when her husband was USA president. This is what we expect.
OK, BUT 1,600 deaths from cancer per year is nothing compared with 100,000 from malaria TB and HIV complications as well as childhood diseases. There is a very high infant mortality in Zambia and yet there are ony 1 dedicated child hospital in the country. UTH must be split up. We still have to get priorities right. Besides this, cervical cancer is a preventable disease within the general ambit of sexually transmissible infections. The promotion of condom use is a double blow to STIs and cervical cancer. Breast cancer needs a national screening program but there must also be trained personnel to read the xrays and tissue samples.
Thanks Madam to get on the Wheel so soon! unlike dishing out party chitenge materials. Please continue with the same momentum that you have started with. This is really a very good gesture. God bless! I am MMD and now thinking of defecting to HH.
She is a Doctor, what Pro-Bono awareness campaigns did she engage herself and her less fortunate community members in when she was an active Doctor, better still her husband was Minister of Health at some stage, lets find out what improved happened in the cancer statistics under his watch. Lets not rush to critisize, health is a burning issue even in developed countries.
@Onlooker, thanks for your comments, Prior her current position, Dr Kaseba has been a very active in Maternal/Child HIV mortality and has worked very closely with the WHO/ILO to promote research projects…Her research has always been in remote areas of Zambia, hence the donor money that we are currently using on most of her joint research within the dept of OBS and GYN…We are behind you First Lady Dr Chrsitine Kaseba Sata
well done first lady. even more people die because more are not diagnosed. alls you hear is “bana bagwila na cintu mumimba”.Â
HIV AIDS and malaria have no vaccine known yet but cancer has a known vaccine. Plese start teaching even preventions, diets, hygiene and any intervention that can help. Malaria is a monister we must face it head on.
For change you get the impression that the Frist Lady’s speech is not written for her but that she is speaking from first hand knowledge! How refreshing
#8 pata,
You are very correct, she is a top first lady who knows what she is talking about. That Thandi used to irk me so much when she read things she knew nothing about while at the same organising the dishing out of brown envelopes and chitenge material. Indeed #8, how refreshing!
Education makes a difference, she did not speak like a cadre. Could she be the only reasonable voice in PF?
Nice one from the first lady, i wish we could have a presidento like her, not dat chima kapona they ve put in power. Soon the zambians will taste the cobras poison. but ni donchi kubeba
Good start, Mrs Sata. Talk about landing on her feet. Hope she will restore dignity to the role of first lady and be complementary to husband (clearly, he is going to need it). Tackling health issues in our country is a tall order, as some bloggers have rightly pointed out, and hence it needs all qualified hands on deck. Lets see how she plays out…..
LITESTYE CHANGES HAVE GREATLY ACELERATED THE CHRONIC DISEASES LIKE CANCER, DIABETES, OBESITY AND HYPERTENSION. THESE DISEASES WERE UNHEARD OF 30 YEARS AGO. THE FOOD WE EAT HAS A VERY BIG EFFECT. CONSIDER IN VILAGES, SUCH DISEASES ARE UNHEARD OF.
The HPV cancer vaccine has caused plenty of controversy in the USA? they pushed on immigrants as their own people declined it as more tests were still needed? it is now a hot topic with the governor of Texas..please do not let your children get the vaccines….as these companies are pushing it on minorities as the outcome is still unknown? wake up zambia people, do not let your children take the vaccine please?
WELL DONE OUR FIRST LADY, THIS IS WHAT EVERY ZAMBIAN WANTS TO HEAR AND NOT LIKE THANDIWE THE GRADE ONE TEACHER WHO WAS GETTING PAID HER SALARY EVEN AFTER SHE ENTERED STATE HOUSE AND LATER GIVING OUT CHITENJES AND SUGAR TO BUY VOTERS. LONG LIVE OUR NEW DYNAMIC FIRST LADY AND WE ARE ALL BEHIND YOU MAMA
these drug companies are looking for pigs to test their vaccines and developing nations such as ours are their targets because they cant not be held accountable if anything had to happen? ask the nigerians with the Mennigitis vaccine of 1996? do not let your children take the vaccine!
Lets go Mama.
If she can talk so well, why can’t she knock some sense into her husband?
No. 18 opposites attract!
Unfortunately, there are in this world, ass.h.oles like Onlooker @ #5 to whom nothing is ever right no matter what one does. They will forever criticize. To them we say, saty in the holes you are in. The reast of the nation is noving forward.
um on a side note theres a vaccine hopefully coming out in 2015 for malaria is currently being tested across the world lets cross fingers , bt so far results have been promisingÂ
If sata condemns buying the mercedez pullman benz presidential car, why is he also using it? in the picture madam first lady is getting in one of the so called controvercial vehicles
With Cervical cancer women need to be educated to stop loading staff where they are scientificaly not suppose to be loaded. the tradition need to be discaouraged. I am not saying this will stop the disease, my point is that Cervical cancer cases will possibly reduce.
Why doesn’t she use the Cobra’s name? She is still refered to as Kaseba. All the past First Ladies used matrimonial names. For example. Mama Betty Kaunda, Vera Chiluba, Maureen Mwanawasa, Thandiwe Banda. The same applies to other countries. USA, Mrs Clinton, Mrs Obama. Even if it’s not legally her adopted name, it would sound better if she were refered to as First Lady, Mrs Christine Kaseba Sata.
Kasaka i agree with you
First lady deliver that message to ur husband
He is a man of action, we need it not just
Wishing for it, anything is possible
Before all of you bloggers take up the space, you should ask the first lady what her condition is. Iam sure she has Diabetes and High blood pressure. These two conditions are silent killers that are taking most Zambians and they blame it on other things including witch craft. The first lady bieng a doctor should work with the grass root to ensure that they are healthyby the way they live their daily lives.She canwork with former first ladys to champion oneness and contiunity in serving women at the grassroot. By the way that cancer Hospital was initiated by Vera.
Mai Gulu
Well said madam
First Lady with Brains Should expect changes in Health sector. First time I hear her speak, she is not a politician but an educated mother of the Name.
We salute you mama Zambia.
Imwe ba LT – “board Mercedes” – ni ndeke? One boards an aeroplane NOT a car!
thanks bana Christine Kaseba she is our first lady rite..pipo.does our president has other names apart from Micheal Chilufya Sata ..
#19 lets not get persnal, Im simply making an observation. Her husband was minister if health, what major changes did he make regarding cancer. she is a Dr and most Doctors I know in third world countries always engage on pro-bono awareness programmes. I wonder how many she was involved in. Maybe you’ve been in the US for so long that you’ve lost your sense of reality. You’re probably a cleaner, or better still a bum wiper, keep convicing yourself that the grass is greener there where u are.
#14… for every drug or medication that is put on the market, there is rigorous testing, trials and retesting. But that does not mean that there are no side effects. Even panadol has eide effects or adverse event associated to it. The benefit of the HPV vaccine outweighed all the reported adverse events. that is why FDA approved it. These vaccine are voluntary. Anyone who opts to have it has a right to demand more information so that they can make an informed decision on whether to take it or not. Dont just discourage people without even being privy to scientific data.
the first lady talks sense. but she is failling her ruff husband. the man is ruff. sata and the former lybian president have same qualities am telling you. he should slow down
something is wrong here. a married woman using diferent names from that of her husband. you are confussing people. not only Zambians but even friends to Zambia. you guys are you truelly married. you should be christ kaseba sata. oooh okay i think the lady that used the reall names of the husband is the head teacher formerly Matero girls then in lusaka. she was proud of her husbands names she was called mrs sata. the only thing i hated was were the police were guarding matero girls just coz of the wife to the minister on Portifolio then. but were is she now. was she divorced or what guys let me know something
where is Mrs Micheal Sata the lady who was head teacher then. i was at Matero girls then when president sata was in mmd as minister without portifolio. tell me something were is this lady. am not in zambian and i have been wondering if they devorced. she was not a doctor but teacher
#23 Female medical doctorz don’t change their maiden namez when they get married, but instead may just add on the huzband’z name. Did you know that even Dr Nkandu Luo waz once Dr Francis Manda’z wife, but rarely refered to az Mrs Manda? The best the media houzes can do iz address President Sata’z wife az Dr Kaseba Sata, if it iz that much of an issue anyway.Â
I wish to congratulate Doreen Grant on a job well done!
We are in this fight against breast cancer together and together we will bring about the change we want.
Kudos to you sister!!
Healthy Wishes!!!!!
Philippa Kibigu-Decuir
Founder/Director
Breast Cancer Initiative East Africa Inc.
ok this sounds great educated first lady articulating issues pertaining to our women let there be improved services. Cancer TX is expensive let there be good free services for the people. No more sending patients to ZA
zambians ubututu, ignorance is rather foolishness, She is called doctor kaseba , thats a very high status in the society, she can never be refered  to as a MRS copy that. Mrs ni kunyumba. officially she is Dr kaseba.You sound rather like  a cat on very hot bricks.
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@ No 34 and 35, Mrs Margaret Sata is still in Zambia and the divorced with the cobra but she is still using Mrs Sata. She was actually at the same Cancer awareness function, saw her on ZNBC with Dr Kaseba. She is now Head teacher at Lake Road School in Lusaka