Construction of 6 Cancer Treatment Centers Underway: Ministry of Health - ENA English
Construction of 6 Cancer Treatment Centers Underway: Ministry of Health
Addis Ababa October 28/2020 (ENA) Ministry of Health today disclosed that the construction of six cancer treatment centers is being underway in four regions of the country including Addis Ababa.
In her remarks at a media briefing on Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Minister of Health Lia Taddesse said huge efforts need to exert in increasing the level of breast cancer alertness of the community at large.
About 2.1 million breast cancer cases are reported annually worldwide while in Ethiopia out of the total cancer cases, breast cancer accounted for more than one-third, she pointed out.
She noted that breast cancer is the top cancer in women worldwide and is increasing particularly in developing countries where the majority of cases are diagnosed in late stages.
Lack of awareness coupled with inadequate cancer treatment centers tend to raise the incidence of breast cancer and becoming a major public health in the country, Lia said.
In order to improve the situation, the ministry has managed to provide cancer treatment centers in 12 hospitals across the country that will contribute access to treatment for many patients.
According to the Minister, it also managed to shortened breast cancer treatment services at national level from six months to only two weeks on the top of easing the huge burden that few treatment centers have carried for long.
Currently, the construction of additional six breast cancer treatment centers is underway in Amhara, Tigray, Oromia and Southern Nations Nationalities Regional States as well as Addis Ababa.
Out of which three of them will be fully operational after three months, it was learned.
The minister urged women to protect themselves from incidents by using breast self-examination in order to detect abnormalities in their breasts.
The Breast Cancer Awareness Month, marked in countries across the world every October, helps to increase attention and support for the awareness, early detection and treatment as well as palliative care of this disease.