News & Events

Kikwete made the call yesterday in Dar es Salaam while serving as the guest of honour at events marking Prostate Cancer Awareness Month held at Kairuki Hospital in Mikocheni.

During the event, Kikwete toured the hospital’s High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) facility, an advanced technology used to treat tumours without conventional surgery.

Kikwete, who disclosed that he is a Prostate Cancer Survivor, said that the disease was detected at an early stage in 2014 and underwent for further medical examinations in the United States, where the diagnosis was confirmed, before agreeing to undergo surgery. He said he has remained in good health since then.

He urged men not to fear prostate cancer screening, noting that advances in medical technology have made early detection more accessible. He pointed out that prostate health can be assessed through a Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test, alongside other clinical assessments, rather than relying solely on traditional examination methods.

He commended Kairuki Hospital for investing in HIFU technology, saying the equipment provides an important treatment option for prostate cancer and other tumours without conventional surgery, potentially enabling patients to recover and return home sooner.

HIFU Specialist at Kairuki Hospital, FredyRutachunzimbwa, said a total of 444 patients had been treated at the facility since the installation of the HIFU machine, including 95 men who had undergone treatment for prostate cancer-related tumours.

Meanwhile, Kairuki Hospital Director, Dr Asser Mchomvu, said available statistics indicate that prostate cancer is the leading cancer among men in Tanzania and ranks among the most common cancers affecting men globally.

He said prostate cancer is between 31.4 percent and 40 per cent of all cancer cases among men registered at health facilities in Tanzania, while ranking as the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the country, after throat and liver cancers.

Therefore, the prostate cancer awareness Month is commemorated in every September insisting men to have a culture of conduct check up time to time.