LESOTHO
A high-altitude, landlocked kingdom with the highest mountains in Southern Africa, Lesotho has one of the smallest populations on the continent and yet represents Africa’s country with the highest health expenditure (11.8% of GDP). Cancer is the second leading cause of non-communicable disease-related deaths with cervical, breast, prostate, and Karposi sarcoma accounting for more than half (55.3%) of the estimated new cancer cases in 2020.
Stats at a Glance
2.28m
People in Lesotho
2,335
Approximate new cancer cases in a year
1,600
Approximate cancer deaths in a year
In 2014, Lesotho launched its national multi-sectoral integrated strategic plan for the prevention and control on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to improve palliative care services for terminal cancers at the community level, enhance screening for pre-cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancers, and build a cancer center and train staff.
In 2021, Senkatana Oncology Clinic, Lesotho’s first and only cancer treatment center, opened its doors and reach out to BVGH in 2022 to join the African Access Initiative (AAI). That same year, Senkatana Oncology Clinic started offering chemotherapy to patients who previously had to travel abroad to receive treatment. BVGH has been supporting the Senkatana team in expanding oncology nursing and oncology pharmacy capacity to increase patient capture and offer increased access to chemotherapy treatment.
AAI In Lesotho
Multidisciplinary Teams in Lesotho Come Together to Strengthen Breast Cancer Management
BVGH and ASCO Breast Cancer Management Workshop in Lesotho When surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, nurses, and pharmacists work in close coordination, studies show that patients benefit from faster diagnoses, more accurate treatment plans, and improved outcomes. This multidisciplinary collaboration is especially critical in Lesotho, where patients receive treatment at both the Senkatana Oncology Clinic in…
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Clinical trial training program addresses cancer data gap in Africa and enables new research ventures for African clinicians
Africa has historically been overlooked by the international oncology research community, resulting in the continent’s participation in less than 2% of all cancer clinical trials. Africa’s underrepresentation in cancer clinical trials has culminated in an alarming lack of data describing the effects of new cancer technologies and treatments in the world’s most genetically diverse population.…
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Our Partner Hospitals
- Senkatana Oncology Clinic
Data on this page sourced from:
Lesotho population: World Development Indicators | DataBank (worldbank.org)
Cancer cases and cancer deaths per year: VizHub – GBD Results (healthdata.org)
Cancer occurrences by type: 426-lesotho-fact-sheets.pdf (iarc.fr)
Cancer control plan: NA (who.int)