Save the lives of children with cancer in Zimbabwe

Chemotherapy drug procurement for Zimbabwe patients

Due to the current drug shortages in the country worsened by the covid-19 pandemic Kidzcan had to seek special dispensation from the Ministry of Health and Child Care to import chemotherapy drugs for cancer children. This has resulted in the organisation being able to assist all children with cancer and assist sickle cell patients as well.

Kidzcan managed to find a pharmaceutical company in India through links with WHO to supply directly to the organisation, with approval from Medicines control Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Health.

But due to covid-19 pandemic globally our drugs were stuck at Chennai airport in India due to a new regulation restricting the exportation of chemotherapy drugs out of India. The drugs eventually arrived after seeking assistance from the Foreign Affairs Ministry and Embassy of India. We are very grateful to our partnership with Ponalab India who has made it easier for the organisation to provide the clinical services which one Kidzcan’s major mandates.

These drugs are a life line to the all children suffering from cancer and without the support from donors and partners from GlobalGiving who avail grants in USD, Kidzcan would not be able to make these procurements. A big thank you to all our donors during this covid-19 pandemic and continued support.

Kidzcan will continue to advocate and lobby to the Ministry of Health to allocate a small percentage through the fiscus to childhood cancer in Zimbabwe and play their part as government.

Kidzcan major activities 

1. Kidzcan ensured the availability, accessibility and affordability of childhood cancer clinical services within the public health system. Despite challenges experienced in Zimbabwe’s health delivery system, Kidzcan managed to register 133 new children who were provided with diagnostics, drugs, transport as well as psychosocial support. The new cases and support provided was however lower than last year due to Covid-19 pandemic that affected movement of those who might have wanted to be diagnosed.
2. Provision of transport services to reduce the default rate of children with cancer and contribute to the reduction of mortality rate in Zimbabwe. Kidzcan comprehensively used mobile services to ensure 272 children with cancer and their parents/guardians always came for their cycles. In addition with the new RBZ regulations on Ecocash transactions this has made it very difficult for Kidzcan to send bus fares to patients on, Kidzcan used its own vehicles for those within the environs of Harare in some cases.
3. Kidzcan distributed food hampers to 150 children with cancer and their parents/guardians, especially during the lockdown as most families found it difficult to access food.

       4. Provision of psychosocial support to193 children with cancer and their parents was done, together with             the holding of 7 parents support group meetings to enhance treatment outcomes. Social media                         parents groups were also formed for parents to share key information on childhood cancer.

        5.Kidzcan carried out various advocacy programmes, including virtual ones during the lockdown period               as we hoisted the motto that cancer does not wait.     

Links:

• Sanitisation project handover to Hospital
• Covid-19 Donation to Hospital

• Activity_pictures.docx (DOCX)