By MIRIAM MALAWA
National Cancer Control Policy (NCCP) is eight years now and not a single Provincial Health Authorities (PHAs) in this country I know of has adapted or aligned any cancer programme from this policy, says Dr Benjamin Yapo.
Dr Yapo who is the deputy chief surgeon in the Highlands Region said this during the recent 57th Annual Medical Symposium in Port Moresby.
Dr Yapo attributed this stagnation to the National Department of Health (NDoH), stating that it effectively championed the NCCP, rendering it essentially dormant since its inception in 2015.
He sympathised with the overwhelming nature of cancer, acknowledging that there are limits to what medical professionals can achieve in terms of a cure.
“At some point cancer becomes overwhelming we as doctors accept, we cannot do much to get rid of it. This is where palliative care comes in. Just because cancer has overtaken someone’s health does not make him/her less of a person that we should focus less. They accept that death is eventual but the pain and suffering in the coming days and months is so destructive they too need help with pain relief and comfort. That’s all they ask for. But hospitals do not have such a service called palliative care and hospitals do not have adequate pain medications to cater for such patients because they consume too much pain medicine as they should give what they suffer from,” he said.
Dr Yapo pointed out that it falls upon the NDoH, as the government department responsible for health, to ensure the effective implementation of these plans and policies across PHAs.
He emphasised the necessity of translating these plans into tangible clinical activities, including the consistent provision of necessary resources, data-driven programmes, a skilled healthcare workforce, and robust support services to ensure measurable clinical outcomes.
“Prevention is better than cure. So true. Some cancer prevention efforts are difficult given the nature of the cancer and its location. While mouth cancer is preventable by removing risk factors such as betelnut, alcohol, and cigarette, breast cancer has no direct insult elements as such. But betelnut, alcohol, smoke (for mouth cancer) and promiscuity (cervical cancer) are social habits that needs public health campaigns. Those campaigns are poorly driven by the department and PHAs,” he explained.
He claimed that the department has zero data to show if they have been doing successful health promotion campaigns.
“So no, they just in there talking in these meetings to say “plan is there” or “slowly we are progressing” or “we are getting there”. For 15 years straight (NHP 2011-2020 and now NHP 2021-2030) and still gone nowhere for cancer patients.”
Medical officers during the recent 57th Annual Medical Symposium in Port Moresby. – pictures supplied
