'Namenye ko ndwaye kanseri y'inkondo y'umura ubwo nari ntwite'

Dorothy Masasa arashinjagira yishimye mu muhanda w'igitaka ku izuba rya nyuma ya saa sita, uruhinja rwe rujishiye mu mugongo we rutekanye.

Mu mezi atandatu ashize, uyu mugore w'imyaka 39, ukomoka mu karere ka Thyolo mu majyepfo ya Malawi, yari ari muri Kenya kunyuzwa mu cyuma kwamurokoreye ubuzima.

Vuba aha gusa ni bwo Malawi yabonye imashini za mbere zayo nk'izo za 'radiotherapy', rero birashoboka ko bitazongera kuba ngombwa ko abandi bagore barwaye kanseri bajya kwivuriza mu mahanga.

Uwo mubyeyi yabwiye BBC ati: "Nanditswe ko ndi uwo kwitabwaho byihutirwa nyuma yuko abaganga batahuye ko ndwaye kanseri y'inkondo y'umura ubwo nari maze ibyumweru 13 ntwite. Bambwiye ko ibi bintu bibiri bidakorana [bitabangikana]."

Avuga ko abaganga bo muri Malawi bamubwiye ko ashobora kubagwa iyo kanseri igakurwamo ariko ko ibyo byari gutuma inda ye ivamo, cyangwa agahabwa ubuvuzi buzwi nka 'chemotherapy' ariko ko ibyo byashoboraga guteza ibyago byuko umwana we avukana ubumuga.

Yahisemo ubwo buryo bwa 'chemotherapy' kugeza ubwo umwana we yavukaga nyina abazwe (akorewe 'césarienne') – nta bumuga na bumwe avukanye.

Nyababyeyi (umura) ye yakuwemo muri uko kubyara kwe abazwe.

Mbere yo gusuzumwa, Masasa yumvaga igice cyo hasi cy'inda ye cyakanyaraye, akava amaraso ndetse ibintu binuka byasohokaga ubudahagarara bivuye mu gitsina cye. Mu ntangiriro, abaganga bibazaga ko arwaye indwara yandurira mu mibonano mpuzabitsina.

Ariko nubwo yahawe ubwo buvuzi bwa 'chemotherapy' – bwo guhagarika cyangwa gutinza ikura ry'uturemangingo twa kanseri, dukura tukanicamo ibice mu buryo bwihuse – yari agicyeneye ubundi buvuzi bwo kuvura kanseri, butabonekaga muri Malawi kugeza mu ntangiriro y'uyu mwaka.

Yabaye umwe mu itsinda ry'abagore 30 bajyanwe ku bitaro byo mu murwa mukuru Nairobi wa Kenya, bajyanwe n'umuryango ufasha w'abaganga, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), kugira ngo bahabwe ubuvuzi bwa 'radiotherapy' bukoresha imirasire yo mu mashini yabugenewe bukica uturemangingo twa kanseri.

Bwari bwo bwa mbere akoze urugendo mu ndege, rero yari ahangayitse cyane ndetse yigononwa gusiga uruhinja rwe rwari ruvutse vuba.

Yagize ati: "Ariko kuko nari ngiyeyo kwivuza, nanjye ubwanjye niteye akanyabugabo ko nkwiye rwose kugenda nkivuza nkazagaruka mu rugo narakize ndetse nishimye."

Ubwo BBC yamusuraga mu bitaro, Masasa yari agifite intege nkeya kubera ingaruka z'ubwo buvuzi, yarananutse ndetse yaratakaje n'umusatsi we.

Ni umwe mu barwayi 77 bajyanwe n'indege muri Kenya bavuye muri Malawi kuva mu mwaka wa 2022, kuvurirwayo kanseri y'inkondo y'umura.

Imyaka 60 nyuma yuko ibonye ubwigenge ku Bwongereza bwayikolonizaga, Malawi yashyizeho imashini ya 'radiotherapy' ya mbere muri Werurwe (3) uyu mwaka. Iri mu kigo kitari icya leta cyo mu mujyi wa Blantyre mu majyepfo y'igihugu, ikigo cyitwa International Blantyre Cancer Centre.

Yabaye intambwe ikomeye itewe mu buvuzi bw'icyo gihugu.

Izindi mashini zahageze muri Kamena (6) uyu mwaka, ndetse zitezwe gushyirwa mu kigo cy'igihugu cyo kuvura kanseri kikirimo kubakwa mu murwa mukuru Lilongwe.

Nubwo Malawi igifite urugendo rurerure kugira ngo igere ku gutanga ubuvuzi bwimbitse bwa kanseri, iri imbere y'ibindi bihugu byinshi byo mu karere kayo muri urwo rwego.

Muri Afurika yo munsi y'ubutayu bwa Sahara, ibihugu birenga 20 nta mashini ya 'radiotherapy' bifite. Iyo mashini ni ingenzi cyane mu kurwanya kanseri.

Ibyo bisobanuye ko biba ngombwa ko abarwayi bakora ingendo zihenze ndetse zinaniza cyane kugira ngo bajye kwivuriza ahandi.

Ishami ry'Umuryango w'Abibumbye ryita ku buzima (OMS) rivuga ko kanseri y'inkondo y'umura ari kanseri ya kane ikunze kugaragara mu bagore ku isi. Bigereranywa ko abantu bashya 660,000 bayirwaye mu mwaka wa 2022 naho 350,000 batangajwe ko yabishe muri uwo mwaka.

Uretse kimwe gusa, mu bihugu 20 byari bifite ikigero cyo hejuru cyane cya kanseri y'inkondo y'umura mu mwaka wa 2018, ibindi byose byari muri Afurika, nkuko OMS ibivuga.

Ibyo biterwa no kutabona inkingo zo kwirinda virusi za 'human papillomaviruses' (HPV), kubura uburyo bw'isuzuma rikwiriye n'ubuvuzi. Ibyo bivuze ko abagore benshi bavurwa bitinze.

Ibitaro bikuru bya Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), bya mbere muri Malawi bimaze igihe kinini ndetse binini bya leta, byakira abarwayi benshi ba kanseri y'inkondo y'umura bavuye mu bice bitandukanye by'igihugu.

Dr Samuel Meja, muganga w'indwara z'abagore kuri ibyo bitaro, avuga ko kanseri y'inkondo y'umura ari ikibazo gikomereye byinshi mu bihugu byo muri ako karere.

Agira ati: "Kutagera neza ku isuzumwa, n'icyago cya HIV [SIDA] gikomeje kuyogoza byinshi mu bice byo muri Afurika yo munsi y'ubutayu bwa Sahara, byahuhuye ibintu."

Mu mwaka wa 2018, Malawi yari igihugu cya kabiri gusa inyuma ya Eswatini muri Afurika y'amajyepfo, mu kugira ikigero cyo hejuru cyane cy'abarwayi ba kanseri y'inkondo y'umura ku isi.

Umukuru wa OMS ishami ry'Afurika ucyuye igihe, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, avuga ko ku isi umugore yicwa na kanseri y'inkondo y'umura buri minota ibiri. Afurika yihariye 23% by'abicwa n'iyo kanseri.

Mu rwego rwo guhindura iyo mibare iteye ubwoba, muri Afurika habaye ibikorwa binini byo gukingira abakobwa virusi ya HPV itera kanseri y'inkondo y'umura.

Lesotho yageze ku kigero kidasanzwe cyo gukingira cya 93%, nyuma yo gukingira abakobwa 139,000 virusi ya HPV.

Ariko ipfunwe kuri kanseri y'inkondo y'umura mu bihugu byinshi byo muri Afurika ryagize ingaruka ku mibare y'abikingiza.

Urugero, muri Zambia, kuvuga ku kintu icyo ari cyo cyose kijyanye n'indwara z'abagore ntibyemewe.

Muri Malawi, Dr Meja avuga ko gusuzuma kanseri y'inkondo y'umura byatangiye.

Agira ati: "Ubu ni uburyo bworoshye cyane bwo gutahura abagore bari mu byago ndetse ukabavura batarahinduka abarwayi ba kanseri. Iri shoramari ni ryo ducyeneye gukora nk'igihugu mbere yuko [kanseri y'inkondo y'umura] irenga igaruriro.

Naho kuri Masasa, we ubu yasubiye mu rugo muri Malawi.

Ubuvuzi yaherewe muri Kenya bwatumye yongera kugira icyizere cy'ubuzima. Umusatsi we wongeye kumera, ashobora kugendagenda ahetse umwana we, akita ku nka ye, ndetse agakora imirimo yo mu mirima.

Avuga ko ubu azi ko kanseri y'inkondo y'umura ishobora kuvurwa ndetse ko urukingo rushobora gufasha abandi bagore kwirinda iyo ndwara, rero nta gushidikanya agira kugukingiza umukobwa we.

Agira ati: "Kanseri y'inkondo y'umura yamfashe mu cyiciro kigoye kandi sinakwifuriza umukobwa wanjye kukinyuramo.

"Hari itandukaniro rinini cyane hagati y'ukuntu nari meze icyo gihe n'uko meze ubu. Ndishimye cyane ko nakize."