At least 60 doctors working in general practice, family medicine and community medicine have completed training over the past nine months to improve cancer screening and follow-up care in Mozambique's provincial hospitals, according to Correio da Manhã Canadá. The head of the country's National Cancer Programme, Cesaltina Lorenzoni, announced the figure at the close of a workshop on advanced care for cancer patients in Maputo on Friday.
Lorenzoni said the training is meant to give clinicians the ability to recognise warning signs and symptoms of cancer and to refer patients onward to higher levels of care, the outlet reported.
Why it matters
Mozambique has few specialists in oncology, and the new training is presented as a response to that shortage. According to Correio da Manhã Canadá, the programme is focused on strengthening early screening, diagnosis and referral for breast and prostate cancer, two of the most common forms of the disease in the country.
The stakes are high. Citing health authorities, the outlet reported that Mozambique records roughly 26,000 new cancer cases each year, with more than 17,000 deaths. Breast cancer alone accounts for about 2,000 cases and some 800 deaths annually, according to recent Ministry of Health data cited in the report.
Where the caseload is concentrated
Lorenzoni said Maputo province in the south, Sofala in the centre and Nampula in the north record the highest numbers of breast and prostate cancer cases, according to the report. Liver cancer is more common in Inhambane province, while cancers linked to HIV appear more often in provinces with high HIV prevalence, such as Gaza in the south and Sofala and Zambézia in the centre.
The training is intended to extend cancer care capacity to every province, specifically across all provincial and general hospitals, Lorenzoni said.
The Maputo workshop also served as the launchpad for a new reference tool: the Manual on Diagnostic Approach and Basic Management of the Main Malignant Tumours in Mozambique. According to the report, the manual is designed to support health workers caring for cancer patients.
Risk factors in focus
The report also points to prevention. Nelson Mucopo, national director of medical assistance, has cited physical inactivity, smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, obesity and poor diet as leading risk factors for the disease, according to Correio da Manhã Canadá. Health authorities say only about 3% of breast cancer cases in Mozambique are genetic, with the remainder tied to external factors.
What to watch: whether the government extends the training beyond the first 60 doctors and how quickly the new diagnostic manual reaches clinics outside the major hospitals.
