Acquisition to new equipment to aid fight against cancer
More work still needs to be done to create access to human rights based cancer care to all communities on an equitable basis.
The acquisition of new equipment for diagnosing and treating cancer at treatment centres will not only help in the fight against cancer, but also address challenges related to cancer service delivery, the national health department said.
It would also see an increased number of linear accelerators being rolled out.
“We are also finalising innovative processes to decentralise access to chemotherapy especially in rural areas,” departmental spokesperson Popo Maja said.
“We are also engaging private and other partners to address backlogs which existed previously and were exacerbated by the pandemic.”
The department was also reportedly developing and strengthening palliative care services while the National Cancer Registry was also establishing population-based cancer registries which were expected to enhance planning and monitoring of services.
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Maja said the department, however, acknowledged that more work still needs to be done to create equitable access to cancer care to all communities.
He made the remarks as World Cancer Day was commemorated under the theme “I am and I will”.
The theme wants to encourage people to rally behind government, private sector and civil society in their efforts to reduce cancer risk factors. It also wants to overcome barriers to screening, early diagnosis, effective treatment and palliative care and rehabilitation.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted our normal lives, including access to healthcare services. This resulted in referral pathway interruptions and delayed cancer diagnosis and treatment,” Maja said.
He, however, added that the department wanted to remind members of the public that their healthcare services remained accessible at all times.
“In this regard, we express appreciation to many cancer care teams in the public sector who worked tirelessly to ensure the continuation of services under the difficult circumstances.”
Maja urged people with cancer and those presenting with non-communicable diseases to maintain a healthy lifestyle and adhere to treatment while they complied to all preventative measures.
“All of our communities must be made aware that many of the leading causes of cancer such as smoking, drinking and obesity are avoidable.”
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