By Emmanuel Buufu

THE Government has been urged to increase funding for the fight against cancer. The appeal was made during the Forum of African First Ladies against Breast and Cervical Cancer conference held at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala, recently.

The participants said cancer was becoming a big problem, with more young people aged between 19 and 45 in Africa being diagnosed with the disease compared to the 50 and 60 age group in America.

It was also noted that while breast cancer, the second killer disease among women, also affected men, many people were unaware of the fact, making early diagnosis and treatment difficult.

“In March 2009, we carried out a screening exercise and out of the people who turned up, only 12% were men while 88% were women,” said Dr. Dan Murokoru, the medical director Uganda Women Health Institute at Mulago Hospital.

Another problem, he said, was that people think of death each time they are diagnosed with cancer yet there are chances of survival if early diagnosis is done and prompt treatment given.

The other factors pointed out as barriers to early cancer screening were traditional beliefs and fear of loss of self-esteem. “In the villages, the natives will always attribute it to witchcraft.

This is why many seek medical help when it is too late,” one participant said.
Rebecca Kadaga, the deputy Speaker of Parliament, said many women fear loss of self-esteem once diagnosed with breast cancer, and mastectomy is the only option.

Mastectomy is the surgical removal of one or both breasts to stop the spread of cancer cells.

“One woman who underwent a mastectomy said she felt like a teenager and less of a woman,” Kadaga said.
The other challenge pointed out was poverty. People cannot access prompt treatment once diagnosed with cancer because the cost is high.

As a result, it was observed, many turn to traditional healers and religious leaders for prayers with the hope a miracle cure.

Currently there are two centres where cancer treatment can be given and that is Mulago and St. Mary’s Lacor Hospital in Gulu. The participants thus called for more centres to be set up to enable people go fget treatment.

They stressed the need to step up public awareness about the deadly disease and training of healthcare providers on how to handle the patients.

The Forum, headed by First Lady Janet Museveni, assisted by the First Lady of South Africa, Tobekia Madiba Zuma, started in 2008.