Ethiopia faces steep odds in managing childhood cancer

By Seleshi Tessema

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) – The name Mathiwos Wondu is associated with tragedy, a source of motivation and an institution that provides care and support to poor children and their families in Ethiopia.

Dark clouds blanketed the skies of the capital, Addis Ababa, and the morning rain gently fell on the rooftop of the Mathiwos Wondu Ethiopian Cancer Society (MWECS) center, which supports 117 pediatric and breast cancer patients.

Wondu Bekele, 62, the founder and manager of MWECS, was bereaved over the traumatic death of his son, Mathiwos.

“Mathi [Mathiwos], a bright boy, was diagnosed with leukemia when he was two years old,” he said in a subdued tone.

“My son spent 26 months in an intensive care unit at Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa, and he could not survive because of the lamentable situation with our health system.”

In 2014, Bekele and his family established MWECS, which is dedicated to supporting children and families battling childhood and adolescent cancer.

- New burden

Kunzu Abdala, head of the Cancer Prevention and Control Department at the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, told Anadolu Agency that Ethiopia, which has been struggling to cope with the challenges of a multitude of communicable diseases with limited resources, is now faced with the burden of cancer care.

“In Ethiopia, it is estimated that [around] 67,000 new adult cancer cases are reported [each year] and more than 47,000 die annually,” Abdala said. ‘’With regards to childhood cancer, 6,000 cases are registered every year, and an estimated 80% die from their conditions.”

According to the Ministry of Health’s National Childhood and Adolescent Cancer Control Plan (2019-2023), the extremely low cure rate for childhood cancer is mainly attributed to the country’s inability to provide cancer treatment.

"Children with cancer often receive incomplete, inadequate or no care, and those with an incurable disease are sent home to die without palliative care," the plan stated, adding Ethiopia lacks adequate health facilities and sufficient supplies of essential chemotherapy drugs, while there are currently only six qualified specialists.

In addition, Abdala noted that as most childhood cancers are hard to recognize, patients arrive at health centers with an advanced level of the disease, and this has also contributed to the high mortality rate.

- 'God only knows’

As the morning rains subsided, 14-year-old Osman Said and his mother, Fatima Ali, emerged from indoors and sat in the playground at MWECS. Furtina Mesaye, 16, had returned from the hospital and joined her colleagues.

Osman said he had been taking medication and undergoing chemotherapy for the last six years free of charge at a government hospital.

"My case is leukemia, and I survived only to have it return three years ago," he said.

"Over the last six years, MWECS has been providing us with shelter, food and transport money to and from our village in Wollo, northern Ethiopia."

Said’s mother Fatima said: "Allah only knows if my son will survive or not. I hope he will survive, but the problem is that the medicine requires quality food. We could not afford it because we are poor farmers."

Furtina’s smiling face hides her worries. She needs a marrow transplant to survive her blood cancer.

"The transplant cannot be performed here. Who can help me? I don’t know," she said.

-‘Won’t give up’

Many times during the interview, Bekele expressed his emotional attachment to the traumatic death of his son.

"Mathiwos’ bedroom, toys and clothes are intact and will [always] be there," he noted. "They serve as a source of motivation to continue with our work, which has been recognized by many global institutions fighting childhood and all forms of cancers."

According to Bekele, the center which has supported 1,800 pediatric and women cancer patients over the years, also plans to get further involved in cancer prevention activities.

"We won’t give up," he added.

The Ethiopian government’s cancer prevention plan aims to improve early detection, diagnosis and treatment of childhood and adolescent cancer, Abdala said.

"Step by step, we will increase the survivability rate to 80%, significantly expand treatment centers and train professionals."