The device has been donated to Mulago Hospital in 1995, and even then it was in second-hand state. Since then, it underwent several repairs, but this time attempts failed, said Christine Namulindwa, a spokeswoman of cancer unit at Mulago Hospital.
The unit gets 44,000 new referrals annually from Uganda and other neighbouring countries including Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. About 75 percent may require radiotherapy, while others could be treated with chemotherapy and surgery.
Dr. Jackson Orem, the director of cancer treatment at Uganda's ministry of health said that even if the machine could be repaired this time, it would be too dangerous to use it, since badly focused radiation can inflict serious harm to the patients.
According to Dr. Orem, the new machine could be delivered within next year, but there are technical difficulties, such as need for building of new facilities that delay shipment of a new device. Until then, patients will have to travel to neighboring Kenya in case they can afford it.
