Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
First Lady Esther Lungu has urged government not to relent in raising awareness on prevention, screening, early detection, treatment and palliative care of cancers.
Speaking when she officiated at the opening of the nursing and cancer care conference organized by Malawi, Zambia and Finland networks in Lusaka today, Mrs Lungu says the prevalence of cancer diseases has significantly increased in Zambia hence becoming a major public health concern.
Mrs. Lungu says it is her desire and that of citizens to receive more information on cancer diseases, causes, effects as well as preventive measures.
She notes that information is often disseminated in the hope that individuals and entities will improve their knowledge base and subsequently make better judgments in future situations.
The First Lady adds that there is need to scale up the dissemination of cancer related information because it will create the awareness required for individuals and communities to timely seek interventions that will contribute to reducing the glaring statistics on cancer morbidity.
Mrs. Lungu has further commended former First Lady Dr Christine Kaseba for having put Zambia on the world map through her advocacy on cancer awareness.
And University Teaching Hospital (UTH) senior medical Superintendent Lackson Kasonka says the country has scored a number of successes in providing health care to cancer patients.
He however states that despite the achievements, the country is still facing a number of challenges in fighting cancer diseases.