Department of Public Health, University of Fort Hare, East London, South Africa
Research Article
Experiences of Patients with Cancer regarding Decentralization of Oncology Services at a Tertiary Hospital in the Eastern Cape
Author(s): Lumkile Wilmot Jojo* and Nonyaniso Trustina Nkutu
Background: The cancer burden is a global public health concern associated with high morbidities and mortalities.
Low and middle-income countries are more affected including South Africa. Limited access to oncology services
contributes to the late presentation, late diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. In the Eastern Cape, oncology services
were previously centralized with negative effects on the quality of life of the already compromised health status of the
oncology patients. To mitigate the situation, a new oncology unit was opened to decentralize oncology services in the
province. Little is known about the experiences of consumers after this transformation. That prompted this inquiry.
Objective: This study aims to explore the experiences of cancer patients regarding the decentralization of oncology
services to enhance the .. View more»