Zambian women are taking full advantage of the country’s telemedicine screening centres for early detection and diagnosis of both cervical and breast cancers, according to the country’s first lady.

Doctor Christine Kaseba, President Michael Sata’s wife, says that telemedicine enables more women to receive on-the-spot diagnosis through a network that links them to off-site consultants.

Women News Network has reported that telemedicine advances have enabled doctors and medical teams to work together to reach patients who may not have access to a clinic.

“Having worked as a gynaecologist, I am particularly concerned with cancers related to the reproductive system of women,” said Kaseba.

“An increase in the number of women visiting screening centres is one indication that the country is making headways in terms of bringing health care services accessible to women,” she explained.

Udie Soko, Zambia Society chairperson, explains that cancer is a disease that needs more encouragement and hope for a patient to survive.

About 13% of all detected cases of cancer in Zambia are considered to be serious and require surgery, he said.

And according to reports doctors at the University Training Hospital in Lusaka diagnose more than two thousand cases of cervical cancer each year.

Zambia is a region where numerous medical doctors have left to more industrial regions and this has caused the need for ‘virtual doctors’ in Zambia to be larger than ever, Soko concluded.