A total of over 1,200 persons were screened for NCDs, Hypertension, Diabetes, Prostate cancer, underweight and Obesity among others during the recently concluded World cancer day 2025.
The event was held Feb 4th 2025 at Bwizibwera Health centre 111 in Mbarara city under the theme ‘United in goals, Unique our goals’ and hundreds of locals graced the event which began with a brass band match past within the surrounding communities as an awareness rising session.
Guests present included members of parliament, senior officials from the donor community including Korea Foundation for International Health care [KOFIH], Dr.Mutungi Gerald the public health specialist and head of NCD prevention and control at the ministry of health who stood in for the permanent secretary Dr.Diana Atwine, Uganda cancer institute [UCI] Civil society organizations among others.
In a special report by the Uganda Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance (UNCDA) which is a key stakeholder in the commemoration event stated that according to WHO, 20 million new cancer cases have been identified while a total of 9.7 million deaths have been reported of which incident, paints a grim picture and calls for urgent stakeholder engagement to reverse these figures.
The report highlights that 53.5 million people are estimated to have survived with cancer for the last 5 years and about 1 in 5 people develop cancer in their lifetime,
Approximately 1 in 9 men and 1 in 12 women die from the disease. Three major cancer types in 2022 were recorded namely the lung, breast and colorectal cancers.
In Uganda, 35,968 new cancer cases, 24,629 deaths were recorded in 2022 according to the (International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2022) with 77,028 prevalent cases for the last 5 years.
The new cancer theme for 2025-2027 is “UNITED BY UNIQUE.” Of which campaign is geared towards reminding the world that every cancer experience is Unique and that it will take all of us United, to create a world where we look beyond the disease and see the person before the patient.
This can be achieved by reducing cancer risk factors, screening and detecting cancer at early stages, and improving access to diagnosis, adequate treatment and palliative care. disease, Diabetes and Cancer).
To leverage the National campaign on prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases, we need to raise awareness on the effects of physical inactivity, tobacco, unhealthy diet, and alcohol among other Risk factors of NCDs.
The objectives of the UNCDA engagement was to screen participants for diabetes, hypertension, and prostate cancer in Bwizibwera, Mbarara City as well as create awareness on the NCDs risk factors, prevention and control at the health camp.
Others are to promote UNCDA visibility within the government institutions through media and health education talks and constantly identify prevalence of screened NCDs and risk factors among people screened during the health camp.
To amplify the need for a collaborative approach in advocating for NCDs prevention, control and treatment services for cancer and other NCDs
The primary goal of this day was to significantly reduce illness and death caused by cancer and is an opportunity to internationally conduct a community campaign to end the injustice of preventable suffering from cancer.
World Cancer Day is an international day celebrated on February 4 every year to increase awareness of cancer and to promote its prevention, detection, and treatment.
