Tebogo Tladi & Thulasizwe Lembede

In efforts to strengthen and improve access to cancer care for the community of Soweto and neighbouring townships, the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) officially launched the Soweto Comprehensive Cancer Centre (SCCC) at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) last Friday.
This comes as a result of a partnership between the GDoH, Wits University and leading multinational pharmaceutical company, Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation.
The establishment of the SCCC has allowed the CHBAH to admit patients requiring  chemotherapy, these patients  used to be  referred to Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. 
To give emphasis to the significance of the new centre at such a peculiar time, MEC for Health Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi said: "It is common knowledge that our oncology services were over-stretched even prior to the COVID-19 global pandemic. This Centre of Excellence for Oncology Services is a gigantic step in the right direction and it came at the time where it is needed most."
The MEC also said that the COVID-19 pandemic has immensely disrupted health care services in Gauteng and the rest of the country.
"It has also been particularly disruptive for cancer services and more so in communities that are affected by income inequalities.  Therefore, this hospital is in the closer proximity with low income earners, it is strategically located to address the medical needs of communities of the iconic Soweto township and the surrounding areas,'' elaborated MEC Mokgethi. 
Furthermore, the MEC  stated that the CHBAH is the third  largest hospital in the world, so the launch of the SCCC only verified that the hospital was going to be the busiest. 
"This hospital provides a crucial public service to the people of Gauteng, South African and the rest of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). 
"So, it is only fitting for this facility to have a greater availability of testing equipment for early detection and additional accessibility to cancer services like surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, as well as improved training of healthcare workers on various cancers", explained Dr Mokgethi.
John Damonti, President of Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation added that efforts to open the SCCC had to be doubled due to the fire outbreak at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital which left Chris Hani Baragwanath as the alternative facility for cancer treatment for the people of Gauteng.  
"Today I can proudly confirm that we have a well-functioning medical oncology unit that will cater to the increasing demand of cancer treatment in the province," said Damonti, ,