Radiation Therapy in Ethiopia – Find Cost, Best Hospitals, and Success

Radiation Therapy in Ethiopia is also available as Clinical radiation therapy. This is a radiation treatment for various cancer diseases and tumors. The radiation works on damaging the active cancer cells and prevents further cancer growth. Radiation therapy is recommended in the early stage of cancer before it can spread to the next stage. The main purpose of clinical radiation is to shrink tumors before, surgery, prevent the reoccurrence of cancer, relieve symptoms of pain, bleeding, or pressure, and treat cancers. Ethiopia presently offers the latest technologies, and machines for tests and diagnosis for early cancer detection and saving lives. Although advanced treatment is challenging to fulfill every patient’s need on time, there are waiting times due to limited facilities. If a patient’s condition is at an advanced stage, patients are recommended to seek treatment overseas, especially in India. Several Ethiopian Radiation therapists collaborate with international hospitals and doctors to get on-time treatment for patients and deal with complex conditions of cancer diseases.

በኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ያለው ምርጥ ሆስፒታል በጨረር ሕክምና ላይ የተካኑ እና ልምድ ያላቸው የክሊኒካል ጨረር ቴራፒስቶች አሉት። በምርመራ እና ለአንድ የተወሰነ የካንሰር አይነት በጣም ተስማሚ የሆነውን የጨረር ህክምና እና መጠንን በመምረጥ ረገድ ባለሙያዎች ናቸው. የኢትዮጵያ መንግስት የህክምና ስርአቱን በማስፋፋት አዲስ አበባ፣ ሀዋሳ፣ ጎንደር፣ መቀሌ እና ሀረርን ጨምሮ 5 አዳዲስ የራዲዮቴራፒ ማዕከላትን በተለያዩ ቦታዎች አቋቁሟል። በአዲስ አበባ እና በሌሎች አካባቢዎች ከፍተኛ የካንሰር ማእከል ለጡት ካንሰር፣ ለፕሮስቴት ካንሰር፣ ለሳንባ ካንሰር፣ ለታይሮይድ ካንሰር፣ ለጣፊያ ካንሰር እና ለማህፀን በር ካንሰር ከፍተኛ ጥራት ያለው የጨረር ህክምና ተደራሽነትን ይሰጣል። የጨረር ቴራፒስት ከሌሎች ልዩ እና ልዩ ዶክተሮች ጋር በመተባበር ለእያንዳንዱ ታካሚ በጣም ጥሩውን ተስማሚ ህክምና ማቀድ ያረጋግጣል.

Radiation Therapy Price List in Ethiopia 2024

Factors Affecting Radiation Therapy Costs in Ethiopia

Radiation therapy is used for various cancer treatments for different stages, which change the cost and length of treatment. Here are the factors influencing Radiation treatment costs in Ethiopia:

The Severity of Cancer: The type and severity of the cancer condition determine the need for radiation therapy and cost. The expenses will increase if the cancer spreads in the majority part of the body and needs high radiation doses with frequent sessions.

Treatment Methods: There are two types of radiation therapy: internal and external. Internal radiation therapy is more expensive than external because internal radiation involves implanting a radioactive device to use X-rays.

Hospital Stay Duration: If a patient needs a combination of cancer treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, it may increase the hospital duration which directly affects the cost.

Number of Radiation Therapy Sessions: Patients with advanced cancer conditions may need multiple therapy sessions. Because cancer can not be treated in one or two sessions.

Required Dosage: The amount of radiation therapy dosage also increases the cost. If cancer has spread, it will need a high dose of radiation.

Does Radiation Therapy Get Insurance Coverage & Financial Assistance?

Radiation therapy is an important component of various cancer treatments but this life-saving intervention is limited in Ethiopia due to financial barriers. Insurance does not fully cover radiation therapy. The insurance coverage can significantly vary for the type of cancer disease. Radiation therapy is a part of cancer treatment, therefore, health insurance coverage in Ethiopia only covers 30% of the total cost of treatment. International insurance is not allowed in Ethiopia. However, patients seeking financial assistance can benefit from famous volunteer organizations such as Hospice Ethiopia, MWECS, Max Foundation, and Else Kroner Center for Cancer Care. Please enquire if you are eligible for insurance and financial assistance.

Radiation Therapy Success Rate in Ethiopia

Generally, the success rate of radiation therapy in Ethiopia is 90%. Ethiopia has the best clinical radiation therapies that precisely use the treatment to cure cancer conditions. However, the success rate varies depending on the stage of cancer. For example, a cervical cancer study showed a 74% survival rate among patients after treatment. Similarly, breast cancer shown a 78% survival rate. However, Ethiopia has challenges and limited resources to provide quick assistance for a large number of patients. It is important to have an early diagnosis to prevent complex conditions.

Suitable Candidates for Radiation Therapy

Here are some essential factors to determine the right candidate for radiation therapy:

• A patient has progressive cancer disease
• A cancer patient with an aggressive tumor
• A patient needs a combination of cancer treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Who is not a Suitable Candidate for Radiation Therapy?

• Pregnant woman
• Elderly people are sensitive to radiation side effects
• People with other diseases

How to Prepare for Radiation Therapy Consultation?

• It is essential to prepare for radiation therapy consultation to feel more confident, get clarity about the disease, and know possible outcomes. Here are the points you need to consider:
• Take all the previous medical records.
• Take the ongoing medication you are taking and any you have taken previously.
• Prepare yourself to discuss your health history, previous treatments, or surgery.
• Allow your doctor to diagnose and understand your condition, and do not hesitate to share your symptoms.

Advanced Radiation Therapy Treatment Options in Ethiopia

• 3D conformal radiation therapy
• Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)
• Stereotactic spine radiotherapy
• Brachytherapy
• Intraoperative radiation therapy
• Stereotactic surgery
• Proton therapy
• Mri-guided radiation therapy
• Conventional radiation therapy
• External beam radiotherapy
• Stereotactic body radiation therapy
• Proton beam
• Tomo Therapy
• Volumetric modulated arc therapy
• Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (imrt)

Radiation Therapy Post-Surgery Complications

• Fatigue
• Skin changes
• Hair loss
• Mouth problems
• Taste changes
• Throat problems
• The less active thyroid gland
• Low blood counts

Radiation Therapy Follow-ups

Having follow-up care after radiation therapy is necessary for monitoring treatment results, recurrent cancer, and side effects. Follow-up includes regular appointments with a radiation oncologist, GP, and another specialist within 4 – 8 weeks after treatment ends. The patient may need scans like PET, CT, and MRI to monitor recurrent cancer. Blood tests and nursing appointments are also part of follow-up.

Radiation Therapy Waiting Time in Ethiopia

The waiting time is the duration of a patient’s requirement to wait before receiving radiation therapy after a referral or diagnosis. The waiting time for treatment may depend on different factors, including type of cancer, type of treatment, machine outage, lack of training, limited radiation therapies, and other facilities. The Radiation Therapy Waiting time is 14 months in Ethiopia. After initial consultation with a radiation oncologist, treatment planning will be done with tests and imaging studies for a tailored treatment plan, which will take a week or several weeks. In other countries, patients may expect radiation therapy within 1 – 4 weeks after the initial consultation. In Ethiopia, it’s different because of limited radiation therapies and more patients. If you are looking to reduce the waiting time, talk with your healthcare team and prepare all the necessary documentation.

Lifestyle Management Before & After Radiation Therapy

Here are the key points to manage lifestyle to cope with radiation treatments:

Before Radiation Therapy

• Get enough rest
• Eat healthy
• Stay Active
• Manage Stress
• Remain hydrated
• Educate yourself about treatments and expectations

After

• Talk to a doctor about side effects
• Avoid Alcohol
• Schedule a follow-up appointment
• Eat plant-based food
• Stay positive
• Manage stress
• Keep active

Technologies Available for Radiation Therapy in Ethiopia

External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) is a general radiation treatment used for the outer body from a machine with the aim of targeting cancer cells within the body. It is an advanced technology designed to deliver targeted radiation treatment to cancer cells. This method uses high-energy beams like photons and electrons on tumors from outside the body to reduce damage to surrounding healthy tissues. Different Types of Radiation Machines include Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT), Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), Respiratory Gating, and Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT).

Brachytherapy is close therapy with radiation and isotopes placed directly into the body using injectable radiation or swallowed as radioactive seeds.The common types of brachytherapy are intravenous radiation for cancers or prostate seed implants like Pluvicto or Xofigo.

Top Hospitals for Radiation Therapy in Ethiopia

Best Radiation Therapies in Ethiopia

Frequently Asked Questions