KUCHING, Dec 23: The Society for Cancer Advocacy & Awareness Kuching (Scan) is urging for a Sarawak Cancer Centre to be set up, despite it taking several years to accomplish.
Scan president Sew Boon Lui said Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) is currently the only hospital with cancer healthcare services for the entire State.
The distance from the location of furthest cancer patient to SGH in Kuching is more than 800km, she pointed out.
“The long-distance travel for those who have difficulty accessing much needed treatment has caused a heavy burden on families affected by cancer. Some have had to choose to forego treatment and face potential death with such a life-threatening disease.
“The shortage of oncologists and the inadequate treatment facilities is also a glaring issue,” she said in a statement today.
Sew also noted that cancer has been the second leading medical cause of death in Malaysia, right after heart disease.
She thus expressed hopes that the Sarawak Cancer Centre would at least partially come into fruition in the new year and in line with the World Cancer Day 2022 theme of ‘Close the Care Gap’.
Scan, a registered society and a UICC member, was established to become the unified voice for all cancer patients to improve access to high-quality public healthcare and to create cancer awareness to the general public to increase survival. — DayakDaily
