NEW APPROACHES FOR IDENTIFICATION AND PREVENTION OF CANCER PRESENTED
ArmenPress
July 19 2005
YEREVAN, JULY 19, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Health Ministry’s Oncology
Center and the Academy for Educational Development (AED) with funding
of the United States Agency for International Development organized
today “Cancer Prevention and Control at the Primary Level in Armenia”
seminar-meeting to present to family doctors and specialists delivering
primary health services cancer epidemiology, risk factors and new
approaches for early identification and prevention of the disease.
Armenian Deputy Health Minister Tatul Hakobian greeted the organization
of the forum and presented Health Minister Norayr Davidian’s message to
the participants in which he calls on health establishments to have the
issues on cancer prevention and control under their limelight. Tatul
Hakobian said the efforts which they have undertaken to make people
go to policlinics for examination were justified and at present
more people visit doctors and now there is a necessity to implement
practical steps in identifying the disease in its initial state.
USAID Armenian Mission Director Robin Phillips told it is necessary
to develop an anti-cancer national program in Armenia.
According to him, many countries adopt national policy for fighting
against the disease. During the meeting he welcomed the five-year long
cooperation between the Armenian Health Ministry and USAID which have
joint aim to develop the health primary control circle.
According to him, the events organized for cancer prevention will
first of all be useful for family doctors.
“It is necessary to display political will, combine abilities and
increase the level of public awareness for fighting against the
disease,” said Phillips. Hranush Hakobian, head of the Science,
Education, Culture and Youth Affairs Permanent Commission, also
underscored the necessity of developing a state program and releasing
funds from the state budget for fighting against the disease. “It
is necessary to fight against the disease by all means. It is also
necessary to implement such amendments, according to which a person
who has cancer will be treated by state released funds.”
Head of the Armenian Ontology Center Hayrapet Galstian said fight
against the cancer is not only health issue but also a national,
state and public one. During the recent years Armenian medical
facilities have been fulfilled with modern devices which promoted
the early identification of the disease. The cases of identification
of the disease have increased by 6% which results in decrease of
expenditures. Galstian said the early identification is not the issue
of oncologist but of the primary sector and family doctor. From this
point of view he considered the creation of Family Doctor Institute
in Armenia as a very effective step.
He said that at present there are 30,000 registered people with cancer
who have been treated for 10 years. According to him, practically
they are healthy people and have returned to their families and
society. According to the information possessed by the Ontology Center,
in 2004 6,174 people with cancerous growths were registered in Armenia,
48.7% of which were women. For comparison, the number of new cancer
cases in 1995 was 4,705, in 2000 – 5,413.
Increase is registered in the number of new cancer cases among female
reproductive organs. Beast cancer has the second leading place in the
cancer epidemiology in the country after lung cancer. The disease is
also spread among men who are often getting cancer in lungs, prostate
and in colo-rectal system.