Health Protection Agency (HPA) has announced efforts are underway to develop the National Cancer Control Plan.
HPA said the plan is being developed as part of the efforts to reduce the incidences of cancer in Maldives. The agency said the plan will help to raise public awareness on how cancer can be contracted and ways to prevent the disease.
As part of the efforts to control cancer in Maldives, HPA has formed a register of cancer patients in Maldives. The agency has also been conducting cancer screening programmes across the country.
A survey conducted in 2018 by World Health Organisation (WHO) in Maldives indicated 84% of all deaths in Maldives are caused by non-communicable diseases, while 17% of these deaths are contributed by cancer. The most common type of cancer found in Maldives is oral cancer, which was found prevalent in both genders. Common types of cancer among women include breast caner, cervical cancer, lung cancer and thyroid cancer, while prostate and stomach cancer were found common amongst men.
Over 9.6 million people died from cancer worldwide in 2018, of which 30-50% were caused by lifestyle choices. The World Cancer Day is marked to raise awareness on the lifestyle choices that can cause cancer and ways to prevent the disease.