Desperate cancer- stricken patients wait for radiotherapy sessions since a year
Algeria registers more than 9000 new cancer cases each year killing dozens of women daily, in addition to 3000 cases of cervix cancer that kills four women daily.
- These startling figures panic the Algerians and raise the experts’ concern because the same drugs used abroad to treat these diseases are available in Algeria but the therapy phases are not properly respected.
- If the diagnosis of the cancer is done on due time, the absence of radiotherapy after chemotherapy sessions brings back the cancer- stricken patients to point zero at best if not spread to the other parts of the body, the head of “ Al – Amal” association for cancerous, Mrs Hamida Kettab has indicated.
- She has, in this respect, related the case of a woman who died after 8 months after undergoing a breast removal and followed chemotherapy sessions pending radiotherapy ones . The woman’s health condition deteriorated drastically afterwards and further examinations revealed that the cancer spread to her liver, and womb succumbing after a month and half of suffering.
- Official figures reveal that 28 thousand of cancer –stricken patients are waiting for radiotherapy since nearly a year. This startling number prompted us to pay a visit to the cancer treatment unit and were surprised by a notice that read “ The unit doesn’t take care of radiotherapy cases because of the lack of capacities”.
- Internal sources have revealed that the professor in charge of this unit has formally advised the relevant ministry about the situation but for no avail.
- Unfortunately, the Health minister is aware about the precarious conditions of the cancer-hit people but he didn’t remedy the situation to alleviate their suffering yet despite the alarming figures.
- Oueld Abbas department has issued figures revealing that some 36 thousand cancerous were registered over the year 2009; the number is due to rise to 44 thousand cases by 2012, mostly among women.