Cancer care needs improving

By GRACE AUKA
THERE needs to be high level of treatment and advocacy to reflect the importance of developing and improving cancer care strategies to properly address cancer in the country.
Participants at the National Cancer Control Stakeholders workshop in Port Moresby were told it was time to step up efforts of addressing the burden of cancer.
Health Secretary Pascoe Kase said it had recognised that cancer needed a comprehensive response by the government and stakeholders.
The main areas discussed to cancer control include prevention, legislation, community education, diagnosis, treatment, pain relief and epidemiology. 
With the theme “Addressing Health’s Hidden Burden: Cancer in PNG”, the department is now tasked to develop a national cancer control plan to guide prevention and treatment of cancers locally.
“PNG has limited resources for cancer and health in general,” Kase said.
“The department recognises that although some work had already been done for developing cancer control guidelines, much of these are still in their developing stages.”
Kase workshop was to bring all cancer stakeholders together to discuss issues and gaps in prevention and treatment and to plan a governance structure that would manage and drive the cancer agenda forward.
“Let’s make a commitment here to make this one work, that is when we make a plan, we must implement it,” he said. 
Kase said the expected outcomes of the workshop would include the review on the state of cancer services in the country, recommendations of the cancer burden report and other published cancer control reports, approaches to cancer control, including the creation of a national cancer control strategy, council or institute and setting of priorities and work plan for 2012 and beyond.    
The two-day workshop includes speakers from provincial hospitals, non-government organisations, development partners and the department.