President Mutharika made the remarks when he presided over the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the Centre at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe.

Professor Mutharika said Cancer is a serious problem in Malawi as over 14-thousand people in the country are suffering from the disease hence the need to complete it in the scheduled time to save lives.

"We have all seen our neighbours, our friends, our fathers and mothers, and those closest to us suffering in the agony of cancer. We have seen our loved ones taken away from us. And we could not stop them. We could not stop cancer from taking them. As I speak, we have over 14,000 diagnosed cancer patients in this country. And there must be many more undiagnosed out there," said Mutharika.

The Malawi leader added that once completed, the hospital will reduce cases of patients seeking medical attention abroad by 50 percent thereby saving government resources.

"For a long time, we have been sending many Malawians abroad for specialized treatment. Most of these are people suffering from cancer. Some of them go as far as India for treatment. Sometimes, these patients, some of whom are frail, have to endure a long journey to India in order to receive radiotherapy. And we cannot afford to send everybody abroad for treatment," he said.

During the function, President Mutharika commended private hospitals for partnering with government in health service delivery.

Professor Mutharika said private hospitals are all over the country as well as in places where there are no government hospitals.

The Malawi leader also hailed the Ministry of Health for its efforts in reducing drug theft. At this juncture, President Mutharika warned all health workers stealing medicine and demanding payments from patients in government hospitals that the law will take its cause.

"Stealing drugs is killing. But I am pleased that we are making progress in ending this malpractice. Let me also emphasise what the Minister of Health has said. The habit of charging patients by some health workers must stop! If we catch you, we will not only fire you, but we will also arrest you. And you will never ever work in our hospitals again," he explained.

The Cancer Treatment Center will be constructed with funding from Opaque Fund for International Development to a tune of 5.8-billion Kwacha.

Statistics show that 1,600 women and girls in the country die of cervical cancer with 2,300 new cases yearly whilst breast cancer remains unknown to many women due to lack of awareness.

Many cancer patients die without getting proper treatment while a few get the opportunity of being treated outside the country.