adminwe save in our various leadership capacities.
The fight against cancer is not an event, but an ongoing struggle. Let us join hands in providing quality care and support for patients and families fighting cancer for best possible quality of life.
Cancer is now killing more people than HIV and Aids, TB and malaria combined, with over 12,7 million people receiving a cancer diagnosis and 7,6 million people dying from the disease globally, every year.
Zimbabwe sees, on average, 7 000 new cancer cases each year and only a fraction of these – some 700 to 1 500 is treated with radiotherapy. Cancers common in Zimbabwe include cervical, breast, prostate and skin cancers, whilst cancers of the digestive system are on the increase. Despite accounting for 12 percent or more deaths globally, cancer is still not recognised as a major public health issue compared to traditional ailments. It has remained low on the agenda of government leaders, health policymakers and financiers.
The HIV and Aids pandemic is augmenting the rate of HIV-related cancers, with 60 percent of new cancers in Zimbabwe being associated with HIV and Aids, according to the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry Report of 2005. People with HIV and Aids have a high risk of developing certain cancers, such as Kaposi’s sarcoma, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, as well as cervical cancer.
Establishing the relationship between cancer, HIV and Aids and other conditions such as diabetes and hypertension is central to improving quality of care as well as prevention of cancer in Zimbabwe.
Early cancer detection and appropriate treatment results in cure and reduction in cost of treatment. However, the cost of treatment for cancer continuous to sky- rocket, making the disease one of the most expensive to treat. Cancer treatment is also highly centralised in Zimbabwe, with only two public health centres offering comprehensive cancer treatment and care services.
These are the Radiotherapy Centre at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare and the Radiotherapy Centre at Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo.
Palliative care – a core modality in cancer management is also very expensive and not accessible to most of the patients requiring the service.
Stepping up efforts aimed at pain management, training of service providers in palliative care and improved supply of morphine drugs among other medicines is a very important part of cancer management and raising the quality of life for cancer patients.
Given the current situation, improvements on human resources for health in particular those that specialise in cancer management, availing of medical equipment and medical products is central to raising quality of life for cancer patients. This can be made possible through policy shifts as well as improved financing. Government leaders and policymakers must realise that non-communicable diseases have become a major contributor to the disease burden. The positive news is cancer can be prevented. Concerted efforts must be put towards cancer prevention as we will ultimately save more resources and lives through promotion of simple but life-changing behaviours and actions. Practising safer sex, maintaining a healthy diet, regular physical activity, limiting alcohol intake, avoiding use of tobacco and regular health check-ups are some of the known ways of reducing your chances of developing the disease.
l For more information, contact the Cancer Association of Zimbabwe, Knowledge Management Department: [email protected]
Online Reporter