The country’s Think Pink Malawi, a grouping of eleven passionate individuals on breast cancer campaign awareness has emphasized the need for government to put in place strategies for easy access to information on cancer detection.
The call comes amid lack of information among women as breast cancer remains unknown to many women due to late detection which becomes difficult to treat.
In an exclusive interview with The Maravi Post after hosting cancer awareness campaign and public debate in the capital Lilongwe, Blandina Khondowe, Think Pink Malawi’s Founder and Breast Cancer Survivor bemoaned lack of information among women on the disease saying government was not doing much.
“Generally, there is knowledge gap on breast cancer in Malawi. Government isn’t doing much on the disease’s awareness aspect. This is the reason we are intensifying the campaign amongst women in cities and rural areas.
“We are here to stay with facts, signs and symptoms of breast cancer through this massive campaign since early detection of the disease are curable. Thus, we are calling ministry of health to increase information access on the disease in a bid to save many lives. Our public hospitals should have enough health workers and equipment for early detection exercise”, appeals Blandina.
Echoing on the same Martha Kwataine, Malawi Health Equity Network (Mhen) said prevention was better than cure with workable equipment such as mammogram for early detection which was not available in district hospitals.
“To prevent cancer, the best way is to increase access to examination of all cancer if we can have access to public health facilities. Government has an obligation to provide quality healthcare services to its citizens as such more doctors must be trained in oncology especially with the ongoing construction of a new Cancer Centre in Lilongwe”, urges Kwataine.
Later the Maravi Post caught up with Dr. Beatrice Mwagomba, The National Program Manager for Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) in the Ministry of health on what government was doing to reduce the gap knowledge on the disease. She assured the public that measures are underway to increase the awareness campaign across the nation.
Since 2013, through her grouping, Think Pink Malawi, Blandina has been partnering with the ministry of health, UN Women, Press trust, Airtel Malawi, Standard Bank and National Publication Limited (NPL) in sensitization campaign through mobile cancer screening and detection for early treatment.
The current Ministry of Health’s statistics shows that in Malawi more than 1,600 women and girls are dying of cervical cancer with 2,300 new cases yearly while breast cancer remains unknown to many women due to late detection.