Namibia has not had national cancer statistics since 2019, leaving the country without an updated picture of the disease’s impact, the chief executive officer of the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN), Rolf Hansen, has said.

Since 2019, CAN has not released an updated of the register, which Hansen attributed primarily to financial constraints.

In an interview with Nampa on Monday, Hansen said the Ministry of Health and Social Services  does not provide financial support to CAN for the national cancer register, leaving the institution to rely on charitable contributions.

When Nampa requested cancer statistics, CAN could only provide data from 2010 to 2019. An inquiry to the ministry for updated figures was redirected back to CAN.

Hansen noted that the association had been maintaining the registry since 1995, but this changed when Covid-19 struck, forcing the organisation to prioritise caring for cancer patients.

Hansen urges the government to invest in cancer monitoring, data collection, and reporting.

“I know the government is trying the best. Towards the end of last year, we attempted to bring all stakeholders together, but we need a national cancer control plan. We need to make cancer a reportable disease, and we need investments in surveillance, data collection and reporting,” he stressed.

He argued that without updated, reliable data, the ministry cannot effectively plan or budget for cancer medicines and treatment.

“How will the health ministry budget for cancer medicine and treatment if they don’t even know how many cancer patients there are in the country?” Hansen asked.

He emphasised the association cannot shoulder the financial burden of establishing a control plan, adding that without funding for data, “quality data should not be expected.– Nampa