Two cancer radiotherapy machines installed at the Badulla and Hambantota hospitals have not begun treating patients, the Government Radiographers’ Association said.
The association said the machines are ready to treat patients, but services have been held up because dosimetry equipment is not available. Dosimetry equipment is used to measure and check the radiation dose.
The two machines are among five Linear Accelerator (LINAC) machines bought for government hospitals after years of delay. Each cost more than Rs. 600 million. The association estimated that building a complete radiotherapy unit at each hospital costs more than Rs. 1 billion.
The Badulla machine was installed in April and the Hambantota machine in the first week of October. Neither hospital has started treatment, although six months have passed since the Badulla installation and a month since the Hambantota one.
The association said the dosimetry equipment could be borrowed temporarily from the National Cancer Institute in Maharagama (Apeksha Hospital), so treatment could start without waiting for new equipment. It said similar arrangements had been used before to start LINAC machines at other hospitals.
The association said Deputy Health Minister Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni told officials during a recent visit to Badulla Hospital to obtain the equipment from Apeksha Hospital and begin services urgently. The association said the arrangements have still not been made.
Background
LINAC radiotherapy is currently available at Apeksha Hospital, Kandy National Hospital, Galle National Hospital, Jaffna Teaching Hospital and Batticaloa Teaching Hospital.
The association said waiting lists at Apeksha Hospital and Kandy National Hospital already run to several months. Patients from areas served by Badulla and Hambantota are being forced to seek treatment at those two hospitals while the new machines stand unused, it said.
Radiotherapy is one of the main treatments for many types of cancer . The association’s statement did not say how many patients are waiting at Badulla or Hambantota.
What it means
The association warned that patients who cannot get treatment in time at government hospitals may have to go to private facilities. It said radiotherapy there costs between Rs. 500,000 and Rs. 2 million.
For families in Uva Province and the south, the unused machines mean longer journeys to Maharagama or Kandy, or a choice between waiting and paying private fees. The association said keeping the machines idle is delaying cancer treatment further. The Health Ministry’s response had not been reported at the time of writing.
