Advanced Oncology
A planned regional cancer centre for the whole of southern Africa, built on two linear accelerators, next-generation treatment planning and one team that reviews every case together, so a woman facing a gynaecological cancer of the cervix, ovaries or womb or a family facing a rare diagnosis can be treated within a short flight of home.
What it is
Radiation oncology already exists in Botswana, and the planned TEMCO centre is built for depth and continuity. Two linear accelerators mean that servicing one machine never pauses anyone's treatment, and around that core sit next-generation IMRT, VMAT, SBRT and SRS planning, HDR brachytherapy for cervical and other gynaecological cancers, PET/CT staging, CT simulation, chemotherapy and surgical oncology, with the surgical, medical and radiation teams reviewing each case together in one building.
Taken together, that is a cancer service carrying both the range a major hospital provides and the complex and rare work that currently takes patients out of the region altogether. Every patient who lands in Gaborone instead of flying on to another continent is care delivered closer to a family, and foreign exchange earned for Botswana.
The tumour that needs screening, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation finds all four at one address.
Planned capabilities
The clinical building blocks of the planned centre, sized for continuous, higher-throughput radiation oncology that can carry referrals from across southern Africa.
Planned Services
- Two-linac radiation oncology, giving redundancy and higher throughput so treatment continues while one machine is serviced — planned
- Next-generation IMRT, VMAT, SBRT and SRS planning for precise, conformal dose delivery — planned
- HDR brachytherapy for cervical and other gynaecological cancers, and for other suitable tumours — planned
- PET/CT staging and treatment-response imaging — planned
- CT simulation, medical oncology and chemotherapy — planned
- Surgical oncology, co-located with medical and radiation oncology — planned
- Integrated multidisciplinary oncology team reviewing each case under one roof — planned
What this means for you
A cancer diagnosis is hard enough without a long wait or a flight abroad for radiation therapy. With two accelerators, treatment can start sooner and carry on uninterrupted while one machine is offline for servicing, and next-generation planning shapes the dose tightly around the tumour so healthy tissue is spared. For a woman with a cervical or other gynaecological cancer, brachytherapy is planned here, which means treatment near her children instead of months in another country. Because the surgical, medical and radiation teams work in one building, a single team carries your case from the first scan through to follow-up, and the centre is planned to open in 2029.
Where each stage happens
The stages do not change. The distance between them does.
Today — Referral, Diagnosis, Treatment, Follow-up. Places: 3. Border crossings: 1.
From 2029 — Referral, Diagnosis, Treatment, Follow-up. One campus.
Built for the whole region
Cancer care of this depth is something the wider region needs and often travels a long way to find. Minutes from Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, the planned oncology centre is positioned to take referrals from across SADC at an estimated 25 to 35 per cent below South African private rates, ninety minutes' flight from most of the region instead of a long haul to Johannesburg or Bengaluru. For Botswana that is a health export earning foreign exchange the way tourism and minerals do, and for a family in Lusaka or Harare it is treatment they can reach and afford.
Planning cancer care
For patients and families planning treatment, or clinicians exploring referral pathways, our patient guidance and clinical team can help.
The information provided on this page is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider. All services listed are planned and subject to regulatory approval. TEMCO Specialised General Hospital is expected to commence operations in 2029.