Hospital lacks cancer treatment

By MELYNE BAROI
CANCER treatment provided at the Port Moresby General Hospital is usually incomplete and patients are advised to seek treatment overseas due to lack of supplies and equipment, says surgeon Dr Beena Dagam.
Dagam said cancer awareness was the best method to help cancer patients in the country as most cancer showed up at a later stage.
“We usually just offer pain relief drugs to our patients as many of them come in a later stage and there is not much that we can do apart from surgery,” Dr Dagam said.
“Later stages in cancer is when someone’s life span has decreased due to the spread of cancer cells within their body.
“There would be a need for radiotherapy for this stage and at the moment the hospital cannot provide that.”
Dr Dagam said it only took informed decisions about harmful lifestyle habits to minimise risks of developing it.
“Smoking has been a big contributor to cancer development as one in eight is caused by smoking as well as one in eight deaths as 75 of 7,000 chemicals in a tobacco causes cancer.”