Thank you all for your hospitality, enthusiasm and support which we experienced during our recent visit.
We carefully reviewed treatments, supportive care, our POND cancer registry, drug supplies, the parent support programme and palliative care at each hospital. Progress and problems that were identified, were discussed with each team.
We met representatives from recently established parent support groups at Babessi, Ntaba and Mbingo and have helped them to establish an account, and start their own fundraising activities (pig farming and selling palm oil).
Our treatment programmess for Burkitt lymphoma and Wilms’ tumour are now well established and the first patients with Kaposi sarcoma and retinoblastoma have been treated.
We will consider the possibility to extend treatment to other childhood cancers at CBC hospitals in the future
At MBH we attended the presentations at the first SIMS research day (projects by Drs Kouya and Jam) with which we had assisted
IRB representatives were met and any outstanding issues were finalised.
We are increasingly concerned about the delivery of palliative care at the homes of patients, and are discussing ways to make this possible in the future
We are grateful for the new financial support of World Child Cancer, and the ongoing support of the Beryl Thyer Memorial Africa Trust.
It is however only your own dedication and hard work that makes it possible to provide the service and obtain good results.
We hope to visit you again at end October/early November
With sincere greetings,
Peter Hesseling, Clinical Director for BTMAT
Cape Town, S Africa