Zambia: 'I Became Protective' - A Cancer Survivor's Fight to Fix Zambia's Health System

What the report says

AllAfrica reports that Karen Nakawala, a Zambian broadcaster and cervical cancer survivor, has turned her own 2019 diagnosis into advocacy focused on improving cancer care in Zambia. She now leads Teal Sisters Foundation and a large women-only Facebook community that offers information, peer support and guidance on screening, prevention and treatment. Her message, as described by the publisher, is that cancer services should reflect local culture and the realities of patients’ lives.

The article says Nakawala’s experience exposed major weaknesses in Zambia’s health system, including a shortage of cancer specialists and gaps in access to timely treatment. It notes that Zambia has only a handful of oncologists for a population of about 20 million, and that cervical cancer remains the country’s most common cancer and a leading cause of cancer death. The piece also points to the wider burden of breast cancer and the difficulty many women face in reaching care early enough for effective treatment.

A central development highlighted in the report is the reopening and upgrading of the radiotherapy and imaging unit at Lusaka’s Cancer Diseases Hospital in August 2026. The facility had been closed for major upgrades since 2020, leaving many patients waiting for radiotherapy and some sent abroad for care. The restored unit can treat up to 60 patients a day and includes radiotherapy planning, external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy. Nakawala called the reopening a welcome step, while warning that more capacity and reliable maintenance will still be needed to reduce delays, costs and prevent avoidable deaths.