{{PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete has directed the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to embark on a countrywide public awareness campaign on prostate cancer.}}
Minister of State in the President’s Office (Special Duties), Professor Mark Mwandosya said when opening the Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT) General Meeting on behalf of the president.
He said that President Kikwete would be more than obliged to personally launch the campaign once all preparations are ready.
The minister said that the president also commended women medics for their aggressive campaign against breast cancer, charging that there is complacence when it comes to the issue of prostate cancer.
Prof Mwandosya said President Kikwete’s diagnosis of prostate cancer has helped to elevate prostate cancer and encouraging people to go for routine medical checkups.
“Prostate cancer is today a national issue that needs wide public awareness on how to deal with it.” He also asked medics to serve the profession by putting national interests before personal interests as the profession requires.
He challenged medical professionals to think of the most valuable contribution they can offer to the nation instead of always coming with a series of demands to the government.
Prof Mwandosya decried the recent trend in which noncommunicable diseases have become more threatening than communicable diseases and pleaded with the medics to intervene for the interest of the nation.
“We ask our medical professionals to help us see the best way to overcome noncommunicable diseases which have become a serious threat to people’s health and lives,” said Prof Mwandosya.
On his part, Deputy Minister for Health, Dr Kebwe Steven Kebwe said the country was well prepared to produce sufficient professionals in the health sector, saying the target is to admit 10,000 students in health training institutions by 2017.
Tanzania Daily News
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