First Lady reaffirms commitment to fight against cancer

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First Lady reaffirms commitment to fight against cancer

7:13 CAT | 28 Jul 2016

Notícias

Mozambique’s First Lady, Isaura Nyusi, on Tuesday reaffirmed her commitment to the fight against cancer at a meeting of African First Ladies, which is taking place in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Isaura Nyusi was speaking on the second day of the Forum of African First Ladies Against Cervical, Breast and Prostate Cancer.

The three-day Forum is discussing innovative approaches to ensure that no child, woman or man dies of cancer due to a lack of access to information, prevention, or treatment.

Speaking at the conference centre of the African Union, Isaura Nyusi explained that her office has been involved in developing a political environment which is favourable to improving cancer services. As a result, Mozambique has registered an increase in the number of health units with cervical and breast cancer screening equipment. Since 2010, the number of health units capable of screening has increased from 34 to 156.

According to the World Health Organisation, Mozambique has the world’s second highest rate of cervical cancer. To reverse this situation, Mozambique introduced in 2014 a pilot programme for vaccinating children against the human papilloma virus (HPV) which is associated with virtually all cervical cancers.

The vaccination campaign covers three districts – Manhica, Manica, and Mocimboa da Praia, respectively in the south, centre and north of the country. Isaura Nyusi explained that the programme has vaccinated 5,877 girls between the age of ten and thirteen. This represents 69 per cent of the 8,556 girls in the districts.

She added that the number of women screened for cervical cancer has increased from 59,594 in 2012 to 108,804 last year.

However, she warned that the country faces many difficulties in the fight against cancer in the coming years, particularly with financial and human resources, the allocation of investments, and specialist training for screening cervical and prostate cancer.

Other challenges include the need to transmit information about cancer in local languages, promote campaigns against the stigma attached to the disease, and halt the discrimination against those with cancer.

Among the activities carried out by the First Lady’s office has been the conducting of campaigns in the Ndlavela women’s prison in the southern city of Matola to raise awareness about the prevention and treatment of the disease.

Mozambique has also hosted an international event to promote better cancer care. In May, the first Conference on Cancer in Mozambique was held in Maputo, which ran in parallel to the second Portuguese Speaking African Countries (PALOP) Conference on Cancer.

The conferences were organised by AORTIC (African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer), an African based non-governmental organisation dedicated to the promotion of cancer control and palliation in Africa.

Statistics released by the National Directorate of Public Health show that cervical cancer is the most common cancer in Mozambican women – accounting for just under a third of all new cancer cases. Unfortunately, diagnosis is normally carried out at an advanced stage of the disease, leading to the death of almost two thirds of the 3,690 women diagnosed.

Source: AIM