Botswana has established its first public radiotherapy centre – an important step in providing accessible health services for its people – with the help of the IAEA and assistance through the IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative.
“The radiotherapy centre is the first of its kind in Botswana. It will help address challenges in cancer treatment in the country and the region and reduce government spending in health care for cancer patients, while minimizing patient waiting time and improving health outcomes,” said Edwin Dikoloti, Botswana’s Minister of Health. Dikoloti officially opened the centre, which is in the Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital in Gaborone, on 27 July 2023. “This centre will serve patients from the region like those from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique and others from the rest of the world. It is only in Botswana that such technology is availed to both the private and public health care sectors, as well as for teaching and research purposes,” he added.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, together with President Macky Sall of Senegal, launched the Rays of Hope initiative in 2022. “The opening of Botswana’s first public radiotherapy centre exemplifies what we can achieve through Rays of Hope,” Director General Grossi said. “This life-saving centre is a milestone in our mission to improve global equity in access to cancer treatment.”
Rays of Hope aims to close the cancer treatment gap in low- and middle-income countries by improving the availability of radiotherapy services, medical imaging and nuclear medicine. The IAEA has six decades of experience in helping countries fight cancer. Through Rays of Hope, the IAEA supports national efforts to mobilize resources and to develop partnerships that will promote safe, sustainable and equitable cancer treatment for all.
Around the world, cancer is placing a heavy burden on human health and on national health services. In 2020, there were more than 19 million new cases of cancer and 10 million deaths globally. These figures are expected to grow over the next two decades. In Botswana, around 2800 new cases of cancer are expected to be diagnosed each year by 2030.