Monica Nyirenda, from Traditional Authority Chikulamayembe in Rumphi, has survived cervical cancer, a treatable tumour which kills eight Malawian women every day.
The 27-year-old woman made several medical trips to Mzuzu Central Hospital to seek treatment for the disease that claimed 2 905 lives in 2020, according to the Ministry of Health.
Her friends and relatives warned her she would not shake off the abnormal cells that swell into a deadly tumour in a woman’s womb.
“They said women with the condition take long to be assisted at the hospital and many die without knowing their condition. They told me not to waste of time,” Nyirenda recounts.
Despite the alarming warning, she vowed to seek treatment because her life was in danger.
But a few days after the trip to Mzuzu Central Hospital, Nyirenda returned home happy—much to the surprise of her neighbours—having been assisted by specialist doctors.
But Doris Kayambo, the hospital’s chief gynaecologist knew why.
“Staff numbers had improved,” she says. “Previously, I was was the only doctor who specialised in women’s reproductive health at the hospital, which was not easy.”
The hospital in Mzuzu City receives critical patients referred from lower-tier healthcare facilities across the Northern Region.
The growing staff includes obstetrician and gynaecologist Du Shumin.
Du is one of the doctors sent by China to help tackle the overwhelming disease burden at the hospital constructed by Taiwan before Malawi severed the diplomatic ties and switched to Mainland China in 2008.
Since the diplomatic swap, China has been supporting Malawi’s healthcare system with skilled personnel and hi-tech equipment.
Du is part of the 11th cohort which arrived in January this year.
Kayambo says cancer treatment has been improving since the “dedicated doctor” was deployed to Mzuzu.
She states: “I have been working with the Chinese doctors for eight years, but the coming of Du improved the numbers. Probably, that’s the reason Nyirenda returned home earlier than expected.
“We are two now. For a long time, we did not have proper oncology services. But with her coming, I have learned to do cervical cancer surgeries, especially hysterectomy [a surgery to remove affected uteruses].
Malawi has got one of the highest rates of cervical cancer in the world,
“The acute shortage of gynaecologists posed a big challenge for patients in the North. In addition, radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer is complicated. Not every gynaecologist can do it; the procedure requires special training,” says Kayambo.
When Kayambo is off-duty, Du remains at the referral hospital assist patients who need surgeries to enjoy healthy lives.
The Chinese doctor also trains to local doctors to provide basic cancer treatment, including the life-changing treatment.
Kayambo has also learned how to properly schedule cervical cancer treatment in the newly formed oncology clinic for women with cervical cancer.
“She has trained me to decide whether a patient needs operation or give chemotherapy. Since January, we have been doing two radical hysterectomies every week, which has given me hands-on training and experience,” Kayambo brags.
Du says the plight of women with the country’s most prevalent cancer compelled her to revisit her work at the hospital starved of essential drugs, medical equipment and staff
She narrates: “Within a month after my arrival, I was flooded by cervical cancer patients and the hospital mainly opted for conservative treatment.
“Without radiotherapy, chemotherapy was the only option.
“After several cases, I realised that radical surgeries could be an effective solution to this. Since the workload is huge, training local doctors in advanced medical techniques was part of the solution.”
The peer-to-peer training included how to performcomplex obstetric and gynaecological surgeries.
The hospital has conducted more than 80 surgeries to remove uteruses infested with cervical cancer, four to destroy the lining of diseased uterus and two to get rid of cancer that may have spread to the ovaries.
“While saving lives and families, we are cultivating a skilled obstetrics and gynaecology medical team that will continue serving Malawians long after we have left,” Du says.
