Health workers trained to handle cancer’s emotional burden

    ________________  

Health workers from Mulago National Referral Hospital and the Uganda Cancer Institute have undergone mental health training to help them better support cancer patients, caregivers and fellow medical staff struggling with depression, anxiety, grief and emotional trauma linked to cancer treatment and care.

The training comes amid growing concern among specialists that cancer care in Uganda has largely focused on chemotherapy, surgery and medication, while the emotional and psychological burden carried by patients, caregivers and healthcare workers continues to receive little attention despite its impact on treatment and recovery.

The week-long training on interpersonal group therapy was conducted in partnership with StrongMinds Uganda and brought together about 27 participants, including doctors, nurses, social workers, palliative care teams, cancer survivors, volunteers and patient navigators involved in supporting patients undergoing cancer treatment at major facilities.

Speaking at the closure of the training on May 8, 2026, at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Dr Annet Nakirulu, a paediatric haematologist-oncologist at Mulago National Specialised Hospital, said many healthcare workers are trained to diagnose and treat cancer but often lack the skills needed to address the emotional distress patients and caregivers experience throughout treatment.

“As doctors, we tend to make the diagnosis, start treatment, and deal with the physical side effects of cancer treatment. But there is more to cancer care,” Nakirulu said.

Emotional toll

Nakirulu explained that children receiving cancer treatment often endure repeated hospital admissions, painful medical procedures and uncertainty about survival, leaving many emotionally exhausted and fearful about the future, especially adolescents who sometimes associate cancer diagnosis with prolonged suffering, hopelessness and eventual death.

“Chemotherapy itself has several side effects, and some adolescents and caregivers tend to associate cancer with death or prolonged suffering,” she said, noting that emotional suffering frequently affects treatment adherence and overall well-being among children and families navigating the difficult cancer journey.

She said parents and caregivers commonly experience anxiety, financial strain, emotional exhaustion and helplessness while supporting children through lengthy treatment cycles, adding that the psychological burden of cancer also significantly affects doctors, nurses, counsellors and other frontline health workers involved in patient care.

“Even health workers are somehow affected in the face of cancer care. Practically, depression, hopelessness, isolation, and poor adherence to treatment are some of the things we have seen,” Nakirulu said.

In 2025, the country recorded an estimated 35,968 new cancer cases and more than 20,000 deaths annually, many linked to late diagnosis and limited access to treatment. Cervical, breast and prostate cancers remain the most common, with nearly 80% of patients dying within the first year of diagnosis.

Some of the 27 health workers who were part of the one week long training

“At the beginning, we had about 300 children in our oncology unit, but now we are seeing beyond 400 diagnosed cases annually. The burden is increasing,” she said, warning that the growing patient numbers require more holistic approaches to cancer treatment and support services.

Holistic cancer care

She stressed that cancer management must move beyond treating physical symptoms and instead address the emotional, psychological and social realities facing patients and families who often spend months or years navigating treatment, uncertainty, financial hardship and fears surrounding survival and death.

“We are seeing that management has to be holistic. It cannot only focus on physical treatment,” Nakirulu said, adding that health workers must learn to recognise signs of emotional distress early enough to provide timely mental health support to patients and caregivers.

Susan Winifred Adikini, a clinical psychologist and quality assurance coordinator at StrongMinds Uganda, said the training was organised to equip healthcare workers with practical mental health skills needed to identify, assess and support cancer patients struggling with depression, anxiety, grief and emotional distress during treatment.

Adikini explained that participants were trained in interpersonal group therapy, an evidence-based psychological intervention designed to help individuals cope with emotional difficulties by strengthening social support systems, improving communication and helping patients process experiences related to illness, grief, fear and uncertainty.

“Oftentimes, health workers are able to attend to the medical needs of patients, but what happens to the depression, anxiety, and mental health needs?” Adikini asked.

She said the training is expected to improve emotional support services within cancer treatment units while also helping patients adhere better to medication, attend appointments consistently and maintain hope throughout treatment, factors experts say significantly influence recovery and long-term treatment outcomes.

“We hope that as healthcare workers are equipped with these skills, they will be able to tackle the emotional burden that affects cancer victims,” Adikini said, noting that psychosocial support remains a critical but underdeveloped component of cancer care services in Uganda.