"With only one oncologist, cancer treatment here is impossible," says Adele Botha, the North West divisional manager for the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa). Cancer patients don't have time to waste, but Botha says staff shortages and treatment backlogs are forcing people in North West to go without treatment entirely. Greeff argues that bad budgeting could be behind North West's cancer treatment woes: "Money for cancer treatment should be controlled by the national health department. Cape Town-based breast cancer treatment programme Project Flamingo performs surgery for breast cancer patients in a bid to slash backlogs. In North West, Burger and her team at Cansa will continue to screen as many North West patients for cancer as they can.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 01, 2018 09:56 UTC