Cancer deals a cruel blow

Editorial

WHILE the country turns its focus towards the 43rd Independence anniversary this weekend and the happy celebrations that come with it, we remember those among us who won’t be so happy, their life gripped by the horrors of cancer.
They won’t be ringing any bells or beating drums in happiness. They will be wishing for a cure.
Cancer is a killer. In Papua New Guinea the incidence of cancer has reached an unacceptable level and needs to be dealt with. Urgently.
Experts say most times cases presented at the clinics are in its such an advanced stage that there is nothing much they can do.
The sad reality is that the data on cancer mortality rates in PNG are not accurate because PNG cancer patients are discharged to die at home.
Only those who have lost a loved one to cancer know that PNG is a long way away from being able to provide effective and efficient treatment.
Because of what’s not available in the country, families fundraise and pool together whatever little finance they have to send their loved ones overseas for treatment.
We know that the country needs a Cobalt-60 teletherapy machine to treat cancer patients.
Women with cervical or breast cancer need this machine. After surgery, they require chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Interestingly, there is a machine at the cancer centre in Lae but that has not worked since 2016, and Dr David Kundi, the registrar at the National Cancer Centre in Lae, said there has been no radiation services there since then.
For cancer treatment, patients need three combinations of treatment – surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy – to have a chance. Unfortunately the centre in Lae cannot provide any of these right now.
The ordeal of those who seek treatment at Lae’s cancer treatment centre at Angau Hospital is painful, to say the least, and not something anyone would wish on anyone else.
The desperate cry and plea for those currently at Angau is to be able to live another day, hoping for a miracle, to wake up to the news that the Cobalt machine is working and it’s your turn today to receive treatment.
Many have died waiting.
Every week, you will come across a fundraising notice advising that the money will go towards the cost of sending someone overseas for treatment.
And the cost they have to bear is not on the airfares, accommodation, medical bills or other things, but on the follow-up care and treatment.
We have been featuring Ruth Kaupa’s cancer journey and the difficulties she and her family have encountered is no different from the many that others have faced since being diagnosed with the dreaded disease.
Ruth’s family raised funds and she leaves this week for radiotherapy treatment in the Philippines.
While we talk about equipment, families who have taken their loved ones overseas will agree on the importance of palliative care after treatment.
Palliative care focuses on relief from the symptoms and stress of the disease to improve the quality of life for both the patients and the families.
Palliative care is provided by a specially trained team of doctors, nurses and specialists who work with the patient’s doctors to provide an extra layer of support.
Those who receive treatment overseas are the lucky ones. As we approach our special day as a nation, we only hope that we can all be lucky to find the treatment we need here at home.