Billy Ntaote
Lesotho cancer patients’ dependence on South African oncology services in Bloemfontein has created a huge financial burden on the country’s health budget and highlighted the dire need for oncology services to be provided locally.
On February 5, during a celebration of Cancer Day—celebrated on February 4th internationally—Health Minister Selibe Mochoboroane stated that Lesotho pays M250,000 per patient for treatment in Bloemfontein, covering various cancer treatments, including radiotherapy.
MNN Centre for Investigative Journalism has learned that, due to the increasing number of cancer patients, the country can no longer sustain the treatment debt with South African hospitals, which, in 2024, stood at M148 million.
Health Principal Secretary Maneo Ntene, in an affidavit deposed in June 2024, urged the High Court to address the cancer treatment facility tender dispute urgently, citing the soaring number of cancer cases and their unsustainable treatment costs. She stated that in 2022, there were 606 new cancer cases, and in 2023, 647 new patients were recorded. By the last week of May 2024, 361 patients had already been recorded.
“In each cohort of patients, 60% need radiation therapy, which Lesotho does not have, as the radiotherapy facility has not yet been constructed,” Ntene said. “As of 2021, the trained human resources have completed their training, but there is no radiotherapy facility yet. If these resources remain unused for too long, the country risks losing them.”
She also noted that 40% of patients come to the facilities at an advanced stage of cancer due to a lack of awareness and early detection.
“80% of patients referred for treatment in foreign countries are unable to get early treatment because those countries are also overwhelmed and battling with their own increasing cancer patient burdens. Lesotho patients are delayed in receiving the necessary early treatment,” Ntene said.
Ntene added that Lesotho has a high cancer patient mortality rate because cancer is diagnosed at later stages and not treated early, as there is no treatment facility in the country.
“We are limited in our research to discover the causes of the disease and ways to combat or prevent it,” she stated. “The country can no longer sustain cancer patient treatment debt. The debt is currently standing at M148 million and is escalating. We have also defaulted on payment of this debt.”
Senkatana Oncology Clinic, located at the Botshabelo complex in Maseru, is the only oncology clinic serving the entire cancer patient population of Lesotho. It was established in 2020 through the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation Global Cancer Disparities (BMSF-GCD) funding as Lesotho’s first cancer treatment center. For more complex treatments, patients are transported to Bloemfontein.
According to an article published in the SA Journal of Oncology, titled Quantitative Exploration of Barriers to Access Cancer Services Experienced by Cancer Patients in Lesotho, the incidence of cancer in Lesotho in 2022 was 2,027 cases, with 1,411 cancer-related deaths. The article states that the top three leading cancers in Lesotho are cancers of the cervix, breast, and prostate, with incidence rates of 25.3%, 8.1%, and 7.3%, respectively. The mortality rates for cervical cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer are 25.9%, 6.5%, and 7.6%, respectively.
This story was produced by the MNN Centre for Investigative Journalism and syndicated by the IJ Hub on behalf of its member centre network in Southern Africa.
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