Cancer treatment: WHO to help Afghanistan until 2027

KABUL (Pajhwok): Officials on Monday said no Afghan would need to go abroad for cancer treatment after three years.

Maulvi Abdul Wali Haqqani, deputy director of Health Services at the Ministry of Public Health, told a ceremony marking World Cancer Day in Kabul that the meeting was organized to increase public awareness about symptoms, causes, risks and treatment of cancer.

He said it was beneficial to increase public awareness about diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

He said 20 million new cases of cancer were recorded in the world in 2022 and 9.7 million people died from the disease.

He said the Ministry of Health had developed a public health policy to provide a clear and systematic framework for cancer prevention, early diagnosis and ideal treatment.

“This policy provides an important foundation for effective measures against the growing threat of cancer, so that patients can be provided with timely and quality medical services.”

Sheikh Mohammad Tahir Arif, Director of the Office of the Ministry of Public Health, told the ceremony that Islam paid close attention to health and gave necessary preventive instructions.

Dr. Khalid Ahmad Khalid, Technical Deputy Director of the Cancer Hospital of the Ministry of Public Health, said that cancer was treatable only if diagnosed early.

He added very little had been done to control and prevent cancer in Afghanistan.

“The Ministry of Public Health has handed over a building related to administrative reforms to us. It has a 70-bed cancer hospital, but after this, we will build a 250-bed hospital for cancer treatment in this building. This work will be completed within the next three years."

He said that after the next three years, no citizen will have to travel abroad for cancer treatment.

World Health Organization’ representative in Afghanistan Dr. Manuel De Lara also spoke at today’s ceremony, saying cancer was increasing in the world and Afghanistan was no exception.

The Ministry of Public Health said that 6,000 new cases of cancer were registered in Afghanistan last year.

Dr. Manuel De Lara said: “We will provide financial assistance with the European Union to Afghanistan until 2027, and WHO is proud to announce its assistance, and this assistance will be with the cancer hospital, as well as with clinics that work in the field of cancer treatment in Mazar-i-Sharif and Herat.”

Previously, Ministry of Public Health spokesperson Dr. Sharafat Zaman had said a special 200-bed hospital will be out into service soon in Kabul to treat cancer patientsand a 50-bed hospital will also be activated in Nangarhar in near future.

He had said that nearly 6,000 cases of cancer were registered with the ministry last year.

According to Dr. Zaman, 42,000 people with cancer in Afghanistan have already visited health centers.

ma