CHIPATA - President Hakainde Hichilema has told supporters in Chipata that the recommissioning of the Cancer Diseases Hospital in Lusaka demonstrates his government's commitment to improving healthcare, describing it as "a wonderful thing to be Zambian under the UPND government."
Addressing a campaign rally, President Hichilema said the reopening of the hospital's radiotherapy and imaging unit had ended years of treatment delays that forced many cancer patients to seek medical care abroad.
"We had eight hundred people waiting for treatment," President Hichilema said, referring to the backlog of patients who had been awaiting referrals to countries such as India while the hospital's radiotherapy and imaging section remained out of service.
He said the government invested US$31 million from domestic resources to rehabilitate and modernise the facility.
"Now we're a first-class cancer hospital. You don't have to go to India, you don't have to go to South Africa," he said.
The radiotherapy and imaging unit had been out of operation for approximately five years before it was officially recommissioned on August 1, 2026.
According to government officials, the refurbishment has positioned Zambia among only three African countries, alongside South Africa and Egypt, with this level of advanced cancer treatment technology.
President Hichilema also reiterated government's plans to construct additional cancer treatment centres in Ndola and Livingstone to improve access to specialised healthcare services for patients outside Lusaka.
He said the expansion of cancer treatment facilities would reduce long-distance travel for patients and improve survival outcomes.
The President concluded by urging Zambians to support the UPND in the August 13 General Election, saying the recommissioned hospital reflected the government's commitment to improving public healthcare and saving lives.
Source: Muvi TV