The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Bernard James
13 November 2009
President Jakaya Kikwete yesterday urged for urgent measures to reduce costs for cancer diagnosis, treatment and care so that many patients in Africa most affected, could afford the services.
The president was speaking at the opening of the 7th conference of African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (Aortic) in Dar es Salaam in a speech read on his behalf by the Health minister, Prof David Mwakyusa.
More than 700 delegates including cancer experts, scientists and stakeholders in the fight against cancer from across the world, are attending the meeting that focuses on designing ways of improving cancer prevention, treatment, formulation of anti-cancer programmes in African countries.
President Kikwete maintained during the four-day meeting which started on Wednesday, that dramatic technological changes which positively impact on the diagnosis, treatment and care of cancer patients must be at a price which African governments can afford.
"At the moment, the cost of cancer care as practiced in established market economies far outstrips resources of many African countries. We therefore have to look for ways to keep costs down and yet provide best possible care," President Kikwete, who is also the patron of Aortic, said.
Research suggest that preventive strategies could considerably reduce the global disease burden at a low cost. But the capacity of many African countries in prevention and detection, as well as treatment, remains a major challenge in the African continent environment.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that by the year 2020, there will be some 20 million new cancer patients in the world. And more then 70 per cent of them will be in developing countries which have only 5 per cent of resources set aside for cancer control.
Yesterday, President Kikwete who briefly attended the meeting, appreciated the support of Aortic in areas of capacity building, training, research, saying his government is committed to continue to support the organisation in the fight against cancer.
"I pledge my support of the noble work that you are doing and I promise to do everything possible to make your work a success. Rest assured that you will get all my support," he said.
Dr Twalib Ngoma who for the last two years served at Aortic president, said cancer was increasingly becoming unbearable burden to many African countries and called for African governments to design and implement cancer control programmes and put the disease on the national health agenda.
"We have made considerable success in cancer control in Africa. I urge governments and policy makers in Africa to invest and cherish Aortic," he said.
Meanwhile, in one of the presentations, Prof Neejra Bhatla from New Delhi, India, who is among the speakers in the conference, noted that cervical cancer was the second biggest cause of female mortality in the world.
"Cervical cancer in Africa kills one woman in every ten minutes," he said.
Prof Bhatla pointed out that eight out of ten women will acquire cervical cancer virus infection, but many delay noticing the infection because there is no culture of screening.
This is the 7th international cancer conference, which follows on the success of Aortic 2007 in Cape Town and Aortic 2005 in Dakar.
Additional reporting by Sharifa Kalokola
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