CHILDHOOD CANCER GIVEN PROMINENCE

FIRST Lady Esther Lungu has lauded the continued fight against childhood cancers, as it is claiming young lives globally, Zambia inclusive.

80% of global cancer statistics are recorded in developing countries like Zambia hence the concern to raise awareness.

Mrs. Lungu made the pledge during the commemorations of the 2017 International Childhood Cancer Day organized by Kayula Childhood Cancer Foundation with support from Ministry of Health.

Zambia joined the global campaign “Together for Kids with Cancer” showcased at a colorful Musical Concert which pulled together children from various schools in Lusaka. The pupils aired their solidarity to children with cancer through music, poems, sketches and dances.

The First Lady stressed that all children are the future, as such they should, regardless of status in life, have the right to proper care.

“We need to do more and care more for children with childhood cancer” she said
The First Lady called upon the public to take good care of cancer patients from diagnosis, treatment and continued care for children with cancer.

“Whilst the doctors are giving them the medical attention, we too need to give them the social attention they need.”

Mrs. Lungu counseled that children with cancer should not be looked down upon as nonentities adding that they should as well be respected and given the deserved attention.

In addition, she appealed to all stakeholders to take this as a personal task in order to find a lasting solution to the challenge. “We are all affected” she said.

“I am personally interested and involved in this fight and will support the cause in any way possible including financially and materially” she added

And Minister of Health Dr. Chitalu Chilufya has since reaffirmed government’s roadmap to fight the plight for childhood cancer.

Dr. Chilufya lauded the demonstrated commitment by the first family for the good health of the people of Zambia.

“Childhood cancer is a growing public health concern and is claiming lives globally, Zambia included” he said “It is, therefore, important that we unite to combat cancer.”

He said that Cancer could surely be prevented by avoiding certain risk factors adding that in Zambia, the cancer control program is premised on a strong screening and early detection program.

“Childhood cancers have their own peculiarities and it is therefore imperative that we strengthen our school health and community programs”

Dr. Chilufya further revealed that government has decentralized cancer treatment to Ndola Central Hospital on the Copperbelt and Livingston Central Hospital in Southern Provinces.

Meanwhile, Cancer Control Director Dr. Kennedy Lishimpi shared a testimony of a cancer survivor who received treatment and care and was released to go back to school where he performed amazingly.

He said that it was surprising to see the named boy defy all odds and score 440 marks at grade nine examinations and was subsequently enrolled to a technical school.

Kayula Childhood Cancer Foundation is the only organization in the country housing children with cancer and caregivers during treatment. The Non-Governmental Organization was established in 2012 and is since housing over sixty children currently.

POLITICIANS, CHIEFS COMBINE EFFORTS TO BEAT CANCER

WESTERN Province Minister Nathanael Mubukwanu has called on the people of Senanga and the entire province to turn out in numbers in order to be screened for various cancers.

Mr. Mubukwanu said this when he played host to Minister of Health, Dr. Chitalu Chilufya, who was in the district to commission the first cervical cancer clinic in the district.

The Minister said that cancer screening should not attract stigma in this era challenging men and women alike to get screened for various cancers like cervical, prostate, breast cancers, including retinoblastomas in children.

“We do hope, as your leaders, that you take full advantage to maximize this opportunity to get screened and create more awareness,” said Mr. Mubukwanu. “Then next what we should do is simply to turn out in numbers and get screened for various cancers.”

Mr. Mubukwanu wondered how many men and women had dared to get screened for cancer, “We should become decisive and take all measures to prevent all deaths that are cancer related”

He added that the cervical cancer center could be accessed at any given time due to its proximity in order to improve health. “You don’t need to fly to Harare or Johannesburg to access such facilities anymore”

“Am very glad that we have come in large numbers and I do hope that in the same token, we shall continue flocking to this facility” he said

“We don’t want it to be a white elephant”

“If we make full use of this facility, we are going to prompt Government to bring more of such facilities to the district.”

The cervical cancer clinic at Senanga General Hospital is the seventh in the province.

And the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) has pledged to work with the Ministry of Health to ensure that men and women turn out in numbers to get screened and treated for cancer.

BRE Representative Induna Kachenda, Wakumelo Simona assured the Minister of Health Dr. Chitalu Chilufya of BRE’s role as torch bearer promising to encourage women to maximize the facility placed at their doorstep.

February, is a month dedicated to cancer awareness, screening and treatment.

'We Can, I Can' brings hope to cancer fight

MINISTER of Health Chitalu Chilufya has called for a collective voice against cancer diseases, a burden reported to be on the increase in the country hence pausing a threat to the productivity of Zambians.

And Western Minister, Nathanael Mubukwanu has bemoaned the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the province.

The duo said this during the commemoration of the 2017 World Cancer Day coupled with the Launch of the National Cancer Control Strategic Plan 2016 – 2021 held in Mongu District of Western Province.

Dr. Chilufya said that cancer is beyond a mare medical condition, as it affects the socio-economic, cultural and spiritual well-being of life.

"Just like the rest of the world, Zambia is facing an increasing burden of Non-Communicable Diseases" said Dr. Chilufya "Non-Communicable Diseases like cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, diabetes, and cancers are increasing as a proportion of the causes of mortality in Zambia.”

The Minister said that WHO estimates that Non-Communicable Diseases accounted for 27% of all deaths in the country of which cancers constituted an important proportion of these has triggered the clarion call for everyone’s involvement embedded in the theme ‘We can, I can’

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) it is estimated that the five most commonly diagnosed cancers in men in 2012 were Kaposi sarcoma, prostate cancer, and cancers of the oesophagus, colorectum, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma while women were cervical, breast, Kaposi sarcoma, and cancers of the oesophagus and coli rectum. (MOH, Cancer Registrations, 2013)

Dr. Chilufya has pledged more support stating that government will continue to ensure that cancer prevention and treatment is prioritized. “We have made tremendous progress in cancer prevention and control as a country”

He said that working with cooperating partners, Government has successfully set up cervical cancer screening clinics in all the 10 provinces. Factors increasing likelihood of developing cancers in Zambia are attributed to among others tobacco use, insufficient activity, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diets, cancer associated infections and environmental factors.

The minister said prevention can best be achieved through choosing healthy life options such as quitting smoking, keeping physically active and choosing healthy foods and drinks.
Meanwhile, Western Province Minister Nathaniel Mubukwanu said that cancers of different types are among the top 10 causes of mortality in the province.

"Western Province has a very high HIV prevalence of 16% according to the ZAMPHIA report, making us second to Lusaka which is at 16.1%." He said

Mr. Mubukwano added that the same report revealed that his province has low viral suppression, making it the most infectious province in the country.

He has since called on the Minister of health to employ a special focus on the subject affecting the province.

And the Minister of Health has commissioned the first cancer screening clinic in Senanga District.

ZAMBIA TO LAUNCH NATIONAL CANCER CONTROL STRATEGIC PLAN, 2016-2021

ZAMBIA is slated to launch the National Cancer Control Strategic Plan: 2016-2021, an implementing mechanism for Government through the Ministry of Health to pull together resources from both government and cooperating partners, Reveals Dr. Kennedy Lishimpi, National Coordinator for Cancer Services in Zambia.

He says the document will guide the promotional aspect of good health and risk factors of smoking, mult...iple sexual partners and enlighten communities on symptoms of various cancers.

Dr. Lishimpi who is leading a multi displinary team of experts from Cancer Diseases Hospital and the Ministry of Health comprising of Oncologists, Surgeons, Medical Doctors, Pathologists, Laboratory Technicians, Nurses and the Cancer Registrar, are in Western Province to offer mentorship programs to locally based cancer service providers.

“Government working together with cooperating partners through the Cancer Diseases Registry is strengthening collection of cancer information in the country,” adds Dr. Lishimpi “this data will feed planning and implementation strategy for cancer control”

He further stressed that Zambia will tomorrow, February 4, join the rest of the globe in marking the 2017 World Cancer Day and heighten cancer awareness activities in the next one month.
World Cancer Day is marked worldwide on February 4, annually and ushers in a month long awareness program in various health centres to March 4.

The 2017 National Commemoration will be held in Mongu district, Western Province while the nine provinces and the districts under them will follow suit in marking the day.

The Hon. Minister of Health, Dr Chitalu Chilufya is expected to grace the commemoration coupled with the launch of the National Cancer Control Strategic Plan 2017 - 2021 and subsequently connect to Senanga to commission the first Cervical Cancer Clinic in the district.

Dr. Lishimpi said that one of the goals of the Ministry of Health is to set up cancer screening clinics in all the districts across the country, adding that only 54 districts out of a total of 104 currently have such facilities.

The 2017 World Cancer Day will be commemorated under the theme “WE CAN, I CAN” calling for everyone’s commitment to the cause of cancer.

Screening of cervical cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer and retinalblastoma is currently happening in Mongu, Senanga, Sesheke and Shangombo districts of Western Province.
The four cancers are reportedly to add up to 60% of all cancers in the country hence the focus on them.

Health Promotion, Disease Prevention Through Multisectoral Approach

The restructuring and re-organizing process of the Ministry of Health has recorded interesting and promissory reforms. It is one process that is tough in nature but the injury it might cause is only the means to the glorious end. I think.

As I share on this important subject, I will start with the key directorate that serves the purpose of ‘hub’ for information to both internal and external publics of this important Ministry.

Formerly called the Directorate of Technical Support Services with two key units of Health Management and Health Education; Health Management oversaw among others Provincial Health Offices, Statutory Boards or Grant Aided Institutions and did Performance Assessment for departments. On the other hand was Health Education were Health promotion, Public Relations and Website Management units sat.

Although health promotion was one of the units, it has since been primed as it is regarded as key in the bid to prevent disease in the country with high burden of diseases.

The new Department of Health Promotion, Environment and Social Determinants is mandated to provide efficient and effective health promotion strategies and   interventions through Social and Behaviour Change Communication, in order to empower individuals, families and communities with appropriate knowledge which will enable them make informed decisions and develop personal skills and sustain healthy lifestyles.

The department is also mandated to promote and improve hygiene and universal access to safe and adequate water, food safety, and acceptable sanitation, with the aim of reducing the incidence of water and food borne diseases throughout Zambia. Additionally, the department will facilitate the multisectoral response with all key stakeholders.

Zambia launches Household Health Expenditure and Utilization Survey Report

LUSAKA-Zambia's health challenges are reported to culminate from social determinants of health than the usual attribution to Communicable diseases.

In response to this reality, the Zambian government through the Ministry of Health working with the Central Statistical Office and the University of Zambia with support from the Department for International Development and other cooperating partners undertook the Zambia Household Health Expenditure and Utilization Survey (ZHHEUS) in order to estimate the household health expenditure and utilization levels in the country.  

Officiating at the ZHHEUS Report launch, Minister of Health Dr. Chitalu Chilufya assured the nation that government is addressing the challenges highlighted in the report and has since pledged to address the status quo by adding the revealed evidence to planning and policy.

Dr. Chilufya responded to the human resource challenge noted in the report that government is up to the task and will recruit 7,400 health workers in 2017 of which over 5,000 have already been given provisional letters pending finalization of payrolls slated for January 2017.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.

“These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels” WHO reports “The social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities - the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries”

Health seeking behavior is one other key facet in answering the question of what majority of people do in the country when faced with ill health.

The report revealed that about 38.3 percent of the population of 15 million Zambians do not report illnesses and only about 21.3 percent do report illnesses.This is mainly due to factors like cost of health service, distance to facility, religious reasons and perceived poor quality of health care services. Self-medication and perceptions are also reported to be high.

An Analyst from the University of Zambia, Department of Economics, Bona Chitah said that it is surprising to find that households do not seek medical interventions despite them realizing ill health.

“There is a tendency of not seeking medical intervention” said Mr Chitah “Households are spending a large amount of money on health care”

He adds that one of the key findings of the survey is that utilization rate of health facilities is relatively low. The public health system is by far the largest due to affordability concerns. 

“(Government) should quickly move in to reduce the imbalances in terms of major expenses” said Dr. Chitah

UN/Zambia Partiners to Fight NCDs

LUSAKA-The United Nations has challenged its member states including Zambia to heighten efforts in the fight against Non Communicable Diseases reported to be on the rise world over. NCDs are capable of decreasing the labour force, reducing productivity and ultimately reducing economic growth, the UN said.

This was revealed during the Joint UN Interagency Taskforce on the prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases to the Republic of Zambia from 4^th to 8^th December, 2016.

Taskforce head, Dr. Nick Banatvala, who is also leading the Secretariat of the UN Interagency Taskforce on NCDs at the World Health Organization-WHO Headquarters in Geneva has challenged Zambians to adopt healthy lifestyles in order to prevent NCDs.

Dr. Banatvala said that Zambians can prevent NCDs by engaging in regular physical exercises and improving their nutrition. He adds that child obesity is also on the increase in Zambia which has the potential to eventually lead to more cases of adult obesity if not controlled.

Meanwhile, WHO Country Representative Jacob Mufunda told journalists during a Joint UN Interagency brief in Lusaka that Zambia is hit by four major NCDs which are cardiovascular diseases including heart diseases and strokes, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases.  

Dr. Mufunda further calls for a multi-sectoral approach in this battle adding that NCDs are mostly socially determined.

It is reported that over 38 million people die from NCDs each year, including 16 million people who die prematurely before their 70^th birthday. Most premature NCD deaths are from four main behavioural risk factors which are tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity and unhealthy diets.

Government, through the Ministry of Health, recently launched the National Health Week with emphasis on disease prevention in the bid to drive to the Ministry of Health vision “A Nation of Healthy and Productive People”