…to reduce the loss of thousands of deaths says Amb Anthony Mukwita
Berlin 24.04.20
Austria has agreed to help finance Zambia with zero interest money to upgrade the cancer centre at the University Teaching Hospital said Zambia´s Ambassador to Germany H.E Anthony Mukwita.
Ambassador Mukwita said this comes after consented meetings between the mission in Berlin that also oversees Vienna on a non-resident basis with Austria and the Ministry of Health that have since culminated in an MoU signed five months ago.
Thousands of lives would be saved from needlessly dying as a consequence of the scourge if Zambia agrees to proceed with the zero-rated long term ´government to government ‘package said Ambassador Mukwita.
“Studies show that dozens of Zambians die from cancer annually posing a major concern,” Ambassador Mukwita said.
“If we act now, we could save lives in future not only in Zambia but regionally because our centre would cater for others in the region once complete, but it all depends on the government really,” said Ambassador Mukwita.
The senior diplomat said times like now of the COVID-19 epidemic raises the urgency for investing in diseases such as cancer now more than ever before because Zambia can ride on the international goodwill.
“There is so much goodwill now for us to invest in areas earlier seen as non-priority and we could learn from countries like here where we are in Germany that invested so much in hospitals and clinics and medics such as that when the COVID-19 occurred, the fatalities are low,” said Ambassador Mukwita.
The Zambian envoy said today it might be COVID-19 and another time it could be another catastrophe, “so investing in fighting cancer today could save lives tomorrow.”
Heinz Messinger, the Managing Director of AME International in Vienna is collaborating with the embassy of Zambia in Germany and anxious to see Zambia take advantage of the “promise” for finance.
Ambassador Mukwita said losing one life from cancer is bad but dozens annually is just unacceptable when something can be done to halt the loss. President Edgar Lungu is an open advocate for the fight against cancer in Zambia.