In April of 2016, the only radiotherapy of its kind in Uganda broke down. This left the entire country without domestic access to radiotherapy treatment needed to combat cancer. The only option available was to travel to neighboring Kenya, which was not only far-- but prohibitively expensive for many. This breakdown resulted in approximately 75% of the 44,000 new cancer patients (2015) who needed radiotherapy without access. The government predicted that it would take 6 months to purchase and implement a new machine-- in the meantime, they offered to pay for 400 patients a year to travel to Kenya to gain access. This tragedy highlights the necessity of improved cancer care infrastructure in resource-poor areas such as Uganda.
