Curbing the Cost of Cancer Treatment- A Pipe Dream or a viable possibility for the Government?

Abstract

Cancer is on the rise, and is known to cause significant impact on the health and socio-economics of a Nation. Initiatives must be taken by the Government to bring down the preventable cancers by primary and secondary prevention strategies. Steps must also be taken to regulate the prices of anti-cancer medicines, and corruption must be checked. Only then will it be possible to provide affordable treatment for a patient suffering from cancer. Lastly, despite the phenomenal growth of Oncology as a science, the single most important factor that has improved the outcome of a patient with cancer is awareness. It is the knowledge of the lady who just felt a lump in her breast that she needs to show it to a doctor, or the understanding of a person that practicing a healthy lifestyle significantly reduces the risk of developing cancer, that has made the maximum impact on the outcome of this disease called cancer. A simple step of spreading awareness in the hazards of smoking and tobacco consumption and conducting smoking cessation programs could bring down the incidence of various cancers like lung cancers, head and neck cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, etc. significantly.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nje.v2i1.6377

Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 2012;2 (1):168-170