The Ministry of Health and Social Services, in collaboration with the Cancer Association of Namibia and the World Health Organisation, is finalising a National Cancer Control Plan.
These stakeholders held a workshop to address and resolve issues in the current draft policy that will provide guidance on key aspects of prevention and control of the disease.
The meeting is reviewing policies and practices as well as doing strategic plan development and resource mobilisation.
The World Health Organisation recorded 2,200 cases and 1,283 cancer-related deaths in the country since 2020.
The numbers have since risen to 3,000 cases recorded annually.
The most common types of cancer include breast cancer, followed by sarcoma and cervical cancer.
Health Systems Advisor at the WHO, Juliet Nabyonga, says the cancer burden continues to grow globally, placing an enormous physical, financial, and emotional strain on individuals, families, communities, and health systems.
"These findings call for a robust cancer control programme. Such a programme ensures that we can effectively prevent, detect, treat, and manage cancer, ultimately reducing its impact on our population. Raising awareness about cancer and issues is important."
Rolf Hansen is the CEO of the Cancer Association of Namibia, and he added that "we have come together as critical stakeholders to build a national plan of action for all Namibians faced with cancer. From state to private patients, from countrymen in rural constituencies to our women and children in urban hubs who are justly vulnerable, they all depend on our collective efforts to find solutions to the rapidly increasing burden that is cancer."
The Executive Director of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Ben Nangombe, says the National Cancer Control Plan serves as a roadmap for action aimed at reducing the incidence and mortality of cancer as well as improving the quality of life for those affected by it.
"The purpose of the National Cancer Control Plan is to guide our country's efforts to effectively fight against the scourge of cancer in all its manifestations. In this regard, the design of the plan has necessarily to be comprehensive, covering all aspects of cancer, such as prevention, early detection, treatment, patient referral systems, patient registries, and palliative care, just to mention a few."