Based on the 2021/2022 cancer screenings by the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN), through the National Cancer Outreach Programme, it is evident from the results that cancer is increasing and there is a tremendous need for education and screening in the country.
Rolf Hansen, CEO of CAN, stated this at the official launch of the 2022 Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project for the benefit of the CAN (WO30).
The funds from this project are used for its annual outreach programmes and pro-bono cancer screening countrywide.
He said: “We have a serious problem in Namibia regarding cancer that needs to be addressed. While Namibia has a very smaller population than South Africa and Zimbabwe, we have an ASR cancer incidence rate of 198.3/100 000.”
GLOBOCAN, the international epidemiology partner in the department of National Cancer Registry at the CAN, now estimates that prostate cancer will lead in Namibia by the end of 2022, followed by breast and cervical cancer.
Hansen said cancer is now the fifth leading cause of death in Africa, which warrants further investigation about the cancer burden in the African region and how we can prevent it (as in the case of cervical cancer) and earlier diagnosis to save lives (as in the case of breast-, prostate and lymphoma cancers in addition to childhood cancers).
Bank Windhoek’s spokesperson Jacquiline Pack said the apple project is the cornerstone of the bank’s corporate social responsibility programme, and that cancer is beatable.
Pack said the bank developed an extensive media campaign, covering traditional and digital channels to ensure the project’s message of hope reaches as many people as possible.
She emphasised that the aim is to raise cancer awareness and reinforce the call to action by CAN for people to be screened so they can get treatment should they need it.
“We will furthermore join hands with CAN in its quest to educate the public about cancer to disseminate information through our social media channels. This is just another tool in our belts that assist in keeping the general public informed and equipped to seek help,” assured Pack.