The Maldives has implemented work to develop a national plan to counter the cancer diseases.
Tuesday was World Cancer Day and this year’s slogan is “I am and I will”.
A statement issued by Health Protection Authority said authorities and non-governmental organizations are working jointly to control cancer in the Maldives. In this regard, work is underway to develop “National Canter Control Plan” this year, said HPA. The plan will help in controlling cancer and various works to control tobacco at the national level.
HPA revealed that cancer screening is ongoing in the Maldives and now a national registry of the illness has been created.
Cancer is developed when there is an abnormal growth of cells in the body and it affects a particular part of the body and sometimes spreads to the other parts of the body. In a report prepared by WHO in 2018, around 84% of deaths in the Maldives arise due to non-communicable diseases while 17% of deaths were due to cancer.
As per the 2016 statistics of national health insurance company Aasandha, the most common cancer in the Maldives is oral cancer.
