Africa-Press – Tanzania. NUMBER of cancer cases has significantly increased in the past ten years. Speaking in Dodoma over the weekend during commemoration of the World Cancer day, the Minister responsible for health Ms Ummy Mwalimu said the situation was alarming, calling for every citizen to be cautious.
“It is important for everyone to check their health status regularly for early diagnosis of the disease. If you are diagnosed with Cancer follow directives given by health professionals,” she suggested.
The Minister tipped that according to the 2018 United Nations Cancer Research Organisation (IARC), the cases of cancer in Tanzania have been rising day by day.
“So our country is estimated to have 42,060 new Cancer patients every year and approximately 28,610 patients equivalent to 68 per cent die from the disease,” she expressed.
Ms Ummy hinted that the increase in cancer patients, along with other non communicable diseases, is largely due to unhealthy lifestyle such as physical inactivity (obesity), tobacco use and its products, excessive alcohol consumption and poor nutrition such as vegetarianism and fruit, consumption of salt and sugar in abundance.
In recognizing this, the Government has stepped up its efforts to ensure that community awareness on the problem is enhanced by developing a curriculum for schools on non communicable diseases and how to control it.
“We are expecting that awareness over these diseases would reach to the grassroots, and everyone should be aware how to protect themselves from it,” she pointed out.
She added that the government has strengthened specialist services at 6 Regional Referral Hospitals and Muhimbili National Hospital for Diagnosis and Treatment by adding specialists, infrastructure and Medical Equipment.
The Minister expressed that the Government has ensured that cancer prevention and treatment services are available in the country whereby more than 800 cervical cancer screening and treatment centers have been opened nationwide at the level of health centre to the Regional and Regional Referral Hospitals.
Ms Ummy said the move has enabled the government being able to provide cervical cancer screening services to a total of 513,375 women equivalent to a fourfold increase from 127, 188 women provided with such services. in 2015.
She outlined that according to 2021 data from the Ocean Road Cancer Institute show that types of cancers which affect men mostly include Prostate cancer (21 per cent), Esophageal Cancer (11.8 ), large and small intestine cancer (9 per cent) and mouth cancer (7.3 per cent).
While most common types of cancers to women are Cervical Cancer (43 per cent), Breast Cancer (14.2 per cent) and Throat Cancer (3.8 per cent).
On top of that Ms Mwalimu expressed that the National Plan to Prevent and Control Non-Communicable Diseases in collaboration with Development Stakeholders has developed a Lifestyle Handbook outlining such diseases and how to prevent them.
In line with that, she said Tanzania has developed various laws, guidelines and strategies for risk management in order to control the increase in non-communicable diseases.
“I urged the ministry’s experts to suggest one day in a month for free cancer screening,” she said,and added that the move will provide equal cancer service without boundaries.
Statistics from the International Atomic Research Organisation (IARC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), 2018 show that each year an estimated 18.1 million new patients worldwide appear, and among them, more than one patient 9.6 million die from cancer each year which is equivalent to about 50 percent.
In addition, more than 43.8 million people are living with cancer worldwide.
WHO suggested that If effective preventive measures, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are not taken promptly, the cancer risk is estimated to increase with the number of new patients reaching 24 million by 2035, with significant increases in the region of developing countries like Tanzania.
The World Cancer Day marked every 4th February to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. This year themes (Tanzania) is ‘Equal cancer services for all’ (Huduma sawa za saratani kwa wote).
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