NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Friday, April 22, 2016

Monday 11 April was not a normal day in the radiotherapy clinic at the Mulago National Referral hospital in Kampala.

Instead of being jammed with weary cancer patients and attendants, this tiny, colonial-era building is deserted; a silent and cold place.

The reason? Uganda’s only cobalt-60 radiation machine has broken down again, affecting patients who have travelled from as far as South Sudan, western Kenya and Rwanda.

Though it has broken down intermittently over the past five years, the machine has always been fixed. This time, though, there is alarm in the country and strong public criticism of the government following reports that the machine may be irreparable. A replacement may not be available for up to two years.