SL talks up post-child cancer survival care

Global health leaders meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, have pledged to raise the survival rate of children with cancer to at least 60 per cent by 2030, under the World Health Organisation’s Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer.

Health Minister Dr Nalinda Jayatissa said that children who survive cancer must be given the chance to live healthy, dignified and productive lives.

He made these remarks at a special session held on Monday (18) on the sidelines of the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva. The session, titled ‘Measuring survival, driving change – Advancing equity through the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer’, focused on improving survival rates and reducing inequalities in childhood cancer care. The WHO also announced the launch of its latest global report, ‘Measuring survival, driving change’ which estimates, for the first time, country-level five-year survival rates for lymphoid leukaemia among children and adolescents, and also highlights gaps in health data systems and inequalities between countries.

Dr Jayatissa said that advances in early detection, treatment and supportive care had increased the number of children surviving cancer worldwide. However, he said that survival alone is not enough.

“The true measure of success in childhood cancer is not only how many children survive, but how they live,” he said. Sri Lanka’s free public health system provides a strong foundation for equitable access to cancer diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care, rehabilitation and psychosocial support, he said. Dr Jayatissa said that care for childhood cancer survivors should not end at hospitals. It must continue through primary healthcare, schools, families and communities. He said that survivors may face long-term complications, including heart-related problems, endocrine disorders, learning difficulties, mental health challenges, reproductive health concerns, and social and economic risks. These require a patient-centred, multidisciplinary and lifelong approach. Sri Lanka is strengthening organised follow-up services through paediatric cancer treatment centres and hospitals, with the aim of ensuring continuous care from childhood into adolescence and adulthood, he said. He said that community health services would play a key role through the Medical Officer of Health services, public health nursing, maternal and child health programmes, and the newly introduced Arogya Suwatha centres. He said that Sri Lanka would also focus on community follow-up, health education, psychosocial counselling, nutrition advice, and support for children returning to school and society. Digital health and health information systems would become increasingly important in this work. 

Source - The Morning