Malawi leader, president Lazarus Chakwera has applauded business mogul and philanthropist Thomson Mpinganjira, for contributing resources to the fight against cancer, which is reported to kill nearly 12000 people in Malawi each year.
Last year, Mpinganjira opened the country’s first cancer hospital, the International Blantyre Cancer Centre (IBCC), established through the Thomson and Barbara Mpinganjira Foundation and partners to provide radiation and advanced diagnostic services.
Speaking when he opened the National Cancer Centre in Lilongwe recently, President Chakwera described Mpinganjira as a Malawian in the private sector who decided to do his part to strengthen the nation’s capacity to treat cancer.
“A clear example is Mr. Thom Mpinganjira, right here, who invested his resources to develop the International Blantyre Cancer Centre, which I had the honour of officially opening in Blantyre last year, and it is truly inspiring to see him here as well.
“This exemplifies a spirit of teamwork that we should all emulate—a spirit that celebrates every success by one Malawian as a victory for all Malawians,” he said.
Mpinganjira was driven to invest in the facility after the death of his wife, Barbara, in January 2019, after being diagnosed with cancer in January 2017.
Opened in March last year, IBCC, the first to offer radiotherapy in Malawi, is a 50-50 partnership between the Thomson and Barbara Mpinganjira Foundation and the Online Medical Concept Company from Luxembourg.
The Centre provides radiotherapy, brachytherapy, chemotherapy, and medical imaging services, which previously required the government to spend K25 million to treat a single cancer patient abroad.
IBCC is a cancer treatment, research, and teaching centre, owned and operated by the Thomson and Barbara Mpinganjira Foundation.
The facility offers 60 inpatient beds. On offer are screening and diagnostic services on an outpatient basis. Inpatient services include both chemotherapy and radiotherapy services.
The cancer centre was established by business mogul Thomson Mpinganjira, in memory of his late wife, Barbara Mpinganjira, who died of cancer in a South African hospital in January 2019.
Thomson Mpinganjira is a wealthy Malawian, who is credited with the founding of FDH Bank, a Malawian home-grown commercial bank among other financial investments.
The centre is equipped with modern cancer screening and diagnostic equipment.
The top of the art facility also offers chemotherapy and radiation services to both inpatients and outpatients on a daily basis.
The cost of construction and equipment acquisition is calculated at about €10 million and Mpinganjira said the medical equipment at IBCC was sourced from Belgium.
“A clear example is Mr. Thom Mpinganjira, right here, who invested his resources to develop the International Blantyre Cancer Centre.”
Dr. Lazarus Chakwera
President of the Republic of Malawi
