Cancer facility set to open

THE Angau cancer facility will start operation by the end of October, Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Elias Kapavore says.
He told Parliament yesterday that the regulations for the 2018 Radiation Safety Law, that was passed in Parliament, was being developed and would be presented to the National Executive Council in the next few weeks.
“My ministry is working closely with Nisit (National Institute of Standards and Industrial Technology) and will provide the necessary support to ensure that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) required regulatory framework is in place so that Angau General Hospital can procure the required cobalt to perform radiotherapy services,” he said.
“Currently, cancer patients are being treated with chemotherapy (drugs) and surgical operations.”
The Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) cancer facility would be operational by the end of the year, Kapavore said.
He said K48 million had been allocated for cancer services in 2018.
Meanwhile, Kapavore said the new catheterisation laboratory that was fully funded by the Government would be launched at the Port Moresby General Hospital.
“Our doctors will be able to diagnose and treat heart conditions using catheters instead of surgeries,” he said.
“The hospital will also provide kidney dialysis services before the end of the year.”