‘Raise awareness on cancer’

Dar es Salaam. A new report shows that 51.7 percent of Dar es Salaam and Mwanza residents are not aware of different types of cancer, hence the need for stakeholders to make more efforts towards raising awareness of the health condition.

The research by the Tanzania Comprehensive Cancer Project (TCCP) involved 1,120 respondents.

Its findings were made public yesterday during a data dissemination workshop was organised by TCCP in collaboration with the Aga Khan Health Services Tanzania and the Aga Khan Foundation Tanzania.

TCCP project manager Harrison Chuwa said the situation was compounded by the fact that 38 percent of doctors in lower level hospitals were also unaware of the different types of cancer.

He said majority were aware of only cervical and breast cancers.

Poor awareness about various types of cancer, he cautioned, might lead to poor uptake of screening modalities and delay in diagnosis.

“We need to push for awareness and if we are to make it on this,” said Dr Chuwa, who doubles as the medical director for the Aga Khan Health Services Tanzania.

His sentiments were echoed by a consultant with the Praxis for Health and Development, Dr Evaline Mcharo, who said this situation meant that the government and other health stakeholders must scale up the awareness level in line with the causative and effects of cancer.

Health ministry’s non-communicable diseases national coordinator Anzibert Rugakingira said cancer was quite common in both developing as well as developed countries, but there were differences in awareness levels, with poor knowledge among residents in the former.