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CANSA Helping to Close the Cancer Care Gap in SA

#CloseTheCareGap #WorldCancerDay #CANSACares

This World Cancer Day (4 February 2022), CANSA and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) are calling on everyone to use their influence to help ‘close the gap in cancer care’. We encourage you to spread the message about this campaign far and wide and to promote and support the CANSA events taking place.

The new three-year campaign calls for action to address the issue of unfair access to cancer services. The campaign aims to promote greater equity in health care provision for all people affected by cancer, no matter who they are or where they live.

What CANSA is Doing to Close the Cancer Care Gap

Cancer patients in our country may have a very different experience regarding access to cancer screening services, receiving timeous diagnoses, cancer treatment and support, depending on their socioeconomic status and where they live.

This may lead to wide differences in the risks of developing and surviving cancer. This gap needs to be overcome and CANSA is tirelessly working towards reducing this inequity.

Early detection is key to overcoming a cancer diagnosis, but people who live in remote areas don’t always have access to information on how to lower their cancer risk or to cancer screening. CANSA helps close the gap in cancer care by partnering with organisations such as Hollard Daredevil, Avon Justine and ILoveBoobies to sponsor mobile health clinic visits in remote areas to offer these services, which would otherwise be inaccessible.

Many patients can’t afford transport to or accommodation near treatment centres and live far away. Our CANSA Care Homes meet their needs by providing a home-away-from-home, including meals and transport, making it possible for patients who would otherwise not be able to, to receive treatment. And our CANSA TLC Lodges accommodate parents of children receiving treatment, providing families with food and care packages to help them cope with the costs associated with treatment.

CANSA offers free counselling through its Tele Counselling service, in seven languages, as well as Tele Stoma support making counselling and stoma support accessible to all. The CANSA website also provides free online resources and links to support groups for cancer patients, caregivers and loved ones.

We provide information regarding the top cancers affecting men and women in South Africa and we’re grateful to partners who help us do so. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among South African women, but the cancer women die of most in our country. Stigma and ostracization surrounding cervical cancer can make women reluctant to seek cancer screening. We help break down the stigma through educational campaigns that include radio spots and a video.

Lung cancer, another prevalent cancer among men and women, is often diagnosed too late. This concern led to CANSA forming a partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal for a Multinational Lung Cancer Control Programme (UKZN-MLCCP). The goal is to improve local communities’ knowledge and awareness of lung cancer, its risk factors and symptoms, through CANSA trained MLCCP Volunteers and to positively impact attitudes towards lung cancer, screening and palliative care. A lung cancer awareness video was produced to reach a wider audience with information to promote early detection.

Men also face the negative effects of gender discrimination and societal and cultural taboos. Social norms surrounding masculinity may make them less willing to discuss health concerns and consider available life-saving procedures, for early-stage prostate cancer. CANSA recently launched a monthly Men Supporting Men online support group to help men cope with a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

CANSA Providing Training to Close the Care Gap

CANSA’s Head of Advocacy, Zodwa Sithole is presenting training to Traditional Health Practitioners nationally from 26 January to 23 March 2022, to provide education around prevalent cancers, treatment, side effects, and the importance of early detection and quick referral for treatment. In this way CANSA aims to close the care gap regarding delays in cancer diagnosis and receiving timeous treatment in communities who depend upon Traditional Health Practitioners for advice. Course materials will be provided in the official languages of South Africa to make this information accessible to all.

What You Can Do

Post Your ‘Close the Gap in Cancer Care’ Video for World Cancer Day

On 4 February (World Cancer Day), we call on you, whoever and wherever you are, to play your part in creating a cancer-free world by raising awareness through a personal video message. Create a short video message encouraging all you know to help close the gap in cancer care in SA…

Support CANSA Events

CANSA hosted various fundraising events leading up to World Cancer Day and will be doing a CANSA Telethon on World Cancer Day (4 February 2022) to give you an opportunity to support our work in closing the cancer care gap in South Africa, in line with the new 3-year World Cancer Day theme. We hope we can count on your support!

During the course of January we offered free FotoFinder screening and skin examinations at selected venues, sponsored by Novartis.

Sign up for the 21 Days to Impact Challenge

Sign up to one of three 21 Day challenges to receive daily inspiration and practical guidance per email: close the care gap; focus on your health or eliminate cervical cancer. Throughout the 21 Days to Impact Challenge, you’ll be encouraged every single day for 21 days to make an impact through small, but meaningful actions.

Join Webinar – World Cancer Day Patient and Caregiver Forum (3 February 2022)

Cancer is a debilitating disease and can place an enormous physical, emotional, social, and financial burden on the people providing long-term, continuous care for affected patients. Join us for our third online webinar, in recognition of World Cancer Day in February. Brought to you by Novartis, Rare Diseases South Africa (RDSA), in association with CANSA, The Breast Health Foundation and Meta Buddies, would like to invite all caregivers, patients and those advocating to bridge the gap for patient care to join us as we discuss these challenges.

Let’s do this…
Together we can close the cancer care gap!

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