WAF, Dar es Salaam: The Minister for Health, Mr. Mohamed Mchengerwa has given the Board of the Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI) a three-year period to ensure that no Tanzanian is forced to go abroad for cancer treatment.
Mr. Mchengerwa made the statement on January 5, 2026 in Dar es Salaam during the launch of the ORCI Board.
He said Tanzania, under the leadership of the Sixth Phase Government of President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, has made great strides in improving cancer treatment services and is now among the few countries in Africa that provide modern services in the area.
“We must keep pace with the pace of President, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan in improving health services, especially cancer treatment”, said Mr. Mchengerwa.
Prior to the launch, Minister Mchengerwa inspected major strategic projects being implemented by ORCI, including the installation of three new LINAC and Cobalt radiation therapy machines, the acquisition of modern diagnostic and treatment machines including PET CT, as well as the establishment of a nuclear medicine production plant (Cyclotron) for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The Minister inspected the construction of a new international services building aimed at improving the provision of services to local and international patients, while commending ORCI Management for implementing the instructions he gave in December, 2025 to install and start using three PET scanning machines.
During the visit, Minister Mchengerwa spoke to patients who were receiving services, where on their behalf, Mrs. Justina Allen thanked the President, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan for continuing to improve radiation therapy services and said that currently indigent patients are receiving treatment free of charge after following the established procedures.
ORCI Executive Director, Dr. Councillor Msemo said the completion of the installation of the new machines will reduce the waiting time for services from 20 weeks to about two weeks, while the number of patients served per day is expected to increase from 200 to more than 400.
However, Minister Mchengerwa stressed that the reform of cancer services should not end with buildings or equipment alone, but should also focus on improving the patient service delivery system and their overall medical experience.
He instructed ORCI to be innovative, courageous and break old systems to establish itself as a center of excellence for cancer treatment in Africa.
In parallel, the Minister emphasized the use of modern technologies, electronic patient information systems, strong Board management, as well as strengthening research and national and international collaboration to make ORCI a leading institution in cancer treatment and research.
