Germany, Mozambique: improving girls’ education, empowerment, and employment
Photo: Noticias
Mozambique’s First Lady, Isaura Nyusi, on Wednesday highlighted the need for a greater number of specialists and more resources to tackle the impact of cancer.
Currently, 25,000 people are diagnosed with the disease every year. The most common cancers among women are cervical and breast cancers, whilst the most common among men are skin cancers and prostate cancers. The main risk factors include the consumption of alcohol and tobacco, a lack of exercise, and a diet lacking in fruit and vegetables.
Isaura Nyusi was speaking in Maputo at the launch of the National Cancer Control Plan for 2019 to 2029. She noted that the lack of oncological specialists, late diagnosis, and a lack of sufficient resources are major barriers to combating the disease. She stressed that “the obstacles that we must overcome are numerous. At every moment, I think of the children who suffer from this disease and are deprived of playing, running, and smiling. I also think of the women who die too early, leaving behind their children without the loving care of a mother, and the families that are left destitute by the painful death of a father”.
Isaura Nyusi argued that, despite these problems, it is possible to defeat cancer and invited those present at the launch to raise awareness about what can be done to prevent and treat cancer. She explained that the National Cancer Control Plan defines specific concrete actions focusing on the most prevalent cancers. This aims to cover all social strata with the main activity being strengthening prevention along with early screening, diagnosis, and treatment.
She hoped that the ten-year National Cancer Control Plan will be the basis on which more financial resources can be raised in conjunction with the country’s main cooperation partners.
Cancer is currently responsible for one in six deaths globally, with more than 14 million people developing the disease each year. It is estimated that this number will grow to 21 million people by 2030.
According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), cervical cancer is one of the largest killers of women in the developing world; 283,000 women die of the disease each year in low and middle-income nations. Malawi and Mozambique have the highest and second-highest cervical cancer in the world, respectively.
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