Uganda vs cancer: The challenges at hand, and critical solutions ahead

Cancer in Uganda is arguably one of the scariest diseases to think about, later alone suffer from or deal with a patient suffering from the same.

This, largely because of the growing statistics of people dying from the disease, but also, because of how expensive it is to treat any type of cancer. In spite of efforts by Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) to set up four regional cancer institutes to extend critical cancer services closer to the people, there remains many challenges, making it complex to contain cancer in the country, writes NATHAN ATILUK.

Recent statistics from the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) show that 80% of the cancer patients die within the first year of diagnosis, which is a very disturbing statistic. Experts from UCI, however, point to late detection as the key cause of this statistic, leading to loss of lives.

For some patients, it is usually poor or limited access to health centres with the capacity to detect or even treat the disease. To most patients, it is usually financial constraints that cause death because the disease can be quite expensive to treat, especially in cases of late detection.

What should worry ordinary Ugandans and government is that, according to UCI, the number of cancer cases in the country is on the rise, with thousands diagnosed every year, not to mention the ones who never make it to health centres. In fact, further statistics from UCI show that out of the total cancer cases registered, over 75% are usually in their advanced stages, which makes survival extremely hard and expensive.

The most prevalent cancers in Uganda, according to UCI, include: Cervical Cancer – which is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality rate among women, breast cancer, liver cancer – which is closely associated with Hepatitis B infections, Kaposi’s Sarcoma – highly associated with people living with HIV/ Aids, and prostate cancer.

In recent years, prostate cancer among men of advanced age has overtaken other male cancers to become the leading cause of the high cancer-related mortality rate among Ugandan men. According to a 2020 report by Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN), over 2,000 new cases of prostate cancer were recorded, with 1,000 in just one year, placing Uganda among the African countries with the highest prostate cancer cases based on age, with 41 cases per 100,000 males, as of 2020.

WHAT IS UCI DOING?

Having started off in the 60s, the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) has evolved over the years, but maintaining its primary purpose as the top public cancer treatment centre in Uganda. Today, the facility has widened its focus on research, oncology, paediatrics, gynaecology, radiotherapy, pharmacy, surgery, and in recent years, bone marrow transplants.

With a capacity of over 80 beds, attending to averagely 200 patients a day, the institute, located in Mulago, Kampala, has since embarked on expansion, in a bid to extend cancer treatment services across the country.

In March 2025, UCI announced a masterplan to set up three more regional cancer Institutes, one of which is Gulu Regional Cancer Centre, which was already in existence, serving northern Uganda with diagnostics, oncology imaging, surgery, chemotherapy, and palliative care. Arua Regional Cancer Institute would serve the West Nile region, providing screening, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy services.

Mbale and Mbarara would also be set up to provide almost similar services, hence reducing congestion and over dependence in Kampala. Dr Jackson Orem, the executive director of Uganda Cancer Institute, noted that, “the regional centres would extend critical cancer services closer to the people of Uganda and various cancer patients,” he says.

Despite various plans by UCI, to improve cancer-related treatment services, the institute has remained with a number of challenges making it complex to contain cancer in the country. For years, the challenge of overcrowding at UCI in Kampala has continued to bite hard on the part of UCI, but also on the part of the patients.

Dorothy Nabutono, 48, was diagnosed with stage four cancer, which meant that her situation had worsened because the cancer had spread to another organ in her body. From the time of diagnosis, in May 2023, Nabutono narrates that it took well over two months before she could start her radiotherapy treatment.

“I knew that I was going in for a very painful phase of treatment, but I was ready to embark on the journey. What traumatised me the more, however, was the sickening time I spent waiting to be worked on at the cancer institute. What’s even more worrying was that if I could have to wait for that long, despite being able to afford the treatment, then what about the financially constrained patients?” Nabutono recalls her ordeal.

The challenge of overcrowding gets even more scary when you consider the number of cases that report for treatment to UCI compared to the total number of cases recorded annually. Dr Nixon Niyonzima, Head of Research and Training at UCI noted that in 2024, the country recorded about 36000 new cancer cases, “yet only over 7,000 patients reported to UCI for treatment,” he said.

Niyonzima attributes the low turnout for treatment to either lack of awareness about cancer by the ones who have it or limited access to cancer treatment services.

“As UCI, we are committed to enhancing our awareness and early screening programs across the country so that more people can be served and treated,” Niyonzima added.

True to what Niyonzima alluded to, concerning lack of knowledge about cancer, Ernest Muzeyi, 68, a resident of Nakaseke, and a patient of prostate cancer, says, it took him a couple of months to accept that what was giving him sleepless nights and painful days was prostate cancer.

“I was convinced that it was either witchcraft or probably overworking myself in the Garden everyday. My son had to forcefully take me to Kampala for diagnosis, and it was then that I got an explanation of what prostate cancer means. Apart from me, I know several men of my age in the village that are suffering from the same, but don’t know what I know now,” Muzeyi said.

Away from cancer patients of advanced age, children are also quite sensitive when it comes to cancer. In a bid to address the uniqueness of cancer treatment among children, Niyonzima says UCI had to expand its paediatric oncology services, establishing a unit with specialised care for childhood cancers such as leukaemia and lymphomas.

atiluknathan@gmail.com

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