The collection, management and analysis of data of people with cancer through a central cancer registry will be taken nationwide next year, Health Protection Agency (HPA) revealed Wednesday.
Currently, HPA’s efforts to compile a cancer registry is concentrated in the capital Male’ region.
In that regard, HPA told PSM News that 1,474 people with cancer have been identified from the Male’ region, adding that it hopes to wrap up the efforts by the end of the year.
The majority of people identified from the Male’ region suffer from breast cancer, followed closely by lung, thyroid and blood cancer, HPA said.
HPA is planning to expand the data collection beyond the capital region next year, beginning with the major hospitals in the Atolls. The efforts will then be expanded across the country, the Agency said.
Despite the increasing number of cancer patients in the Maldives in recent years, no official data have been collected to date.
In order to bridge that gap, HPA had launched efforts to compile a national cancer registry.
Hulhumale' Hospital, the primary government facility for cancer treatment, has reported the highest number of cancer cases, from Male' City, Addu City, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Shaviyani, and Raa Atolls.
Major treatments for cancer patients are typically provided abroad, which is costly and burdensome for both patients and the government.
Notably, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 84 percent of deaths in the Maldives, with 17 percent attributed to cancer.
The government has pledged to build a comprehensive cancer hospital in the Maldives with state-of-the-art facilities, to address the lack of treatment available for cancer patients.