The Minister for Health and Social Welfare Dr.Seif Ally Rashid speaks during the 2014 World Cancer Day. On his left is The Executive D...
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| The Minister for Health and Social Welfare Dr.Seif Ally Rashid speaks during the 2014 World Cancer Day. On his left is The Executive Director of Ocean Road Cancer Institute Dr.Twalib Ngoma This day is observed to raise awareness about cancer and to encourage its prevention,detection and treatment (Photo by Mohamed Mambo) |
The Minister for Health and Social Welfare Dr.Seif Ally Rashid disclosed this yesterday in Dare salaam on his speech to mark the 2 014 International Cancer Day on Tuesday 4th February.
"The government is working hard to increase local experts to obstruct this killer disease,which take away about 40,000 lives of Tanzanians a year."He said.
"Over a period of ten years,Tanzania has witnessed striking increase in the number of patients seeking treatment at the Cancer Institute (OCRI), this calls for more efforts so that it can be possible to increase resources to accommodate them. Only 5,000 patients report into this Institute yearly and more than 44,000 patients remaining seek medical care country wide,leaving 36,000 others dying. Measures are underway in which at least 100 to 400 doctors get trained every year to deal with this situation."He reported.
"Increasing the manpower will go shoulder by shoulder with expansion of service centers countrywide,that will see other referral hospitals than the OCRI".He added.
Bugando Medical Hospital (BMC) in Mwanza,Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) in Kilimanjaro , Mbeya and Mtwara Reginal Referral Hospital have just started dealing with Cancer cases relieve patients from traveling long to OCRI to get treatment.
He cited the 2014 World Cancer Report which has just come out with findings on the general world cancer trend,cautioning that the less developed countries,Tanzania included were likely to witness the big toll deaths tune to 80% of the present deaths by 2025.
According to the report the incidence of cancer increased in just four years ,from 12.7 million in 2008 to 14.1 million new cases in 2012. In the next 20 years it is expected to hit 25 million equivalent to 70% increase a year.
Cancer cases are expected to rise alarmingly world wide in the next 20 years. Therefore, there is a need for preventive measures to combat this scourge.
About the Cancer Control Programme The key mission of WHO Cancer Control Programme is to promote national cancer control policies plans and programmes, integrated to noncommunicable diseases and other related problems. Our core functions are to set norms and standards, promote surveillance, encourage evidence based prevention, early detection, treatment and palliative tailored to the different socioeconomic settings.
What is cancer? Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumours and neoplasms. One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries, and which can then invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs. This process is referred to as metastasis. Metastases are the major cause of death from cancer.
It has been suggested that Tanzania should resort to practical solution to redress the situation.We should reduce copying western life styles, tobacco use habit,alcohol taking and cultivate making physical exercises.
Dr. Rashidi urged that Cancer day should be taken as a platform to increase awareness to the people and a reminder to the government to recognise the trend of the disease so as to be in a position to take immediate action.
source: DN- T
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