The Hospice Palliative Care Association says there is an increase of more than 3,700 cases from the previous registry update in 2017.
Hospices play an important role not only for cancer patients, but also for their families. Picture: pixabay.com
CAPE TOWN – The Hospice Palliative Care Association ( HPCA) says cancer in South Africa is increasing drastically.
The last update to the South African National Cancer Registry was in 2019, with over 85,300 cancer cases reported across the population.
This was an increase of more than 3,700 cases from the previous registry update in 2017.
Saturday marked World Cancer Day to raise awareness about the prevention, detection and treatment of the disease.
READ: World Cancer Day: health dept urges South Africans to go for regular screenings
The HPCA’s Leigh Meinert said hospices played an important role not only for cancer patients, but also for their families.
“So people are afraid to approach hospices as people think it means giving up, they think it means someone is definitely dying.
“Many of our patients our hospice members recover with the help and the kind of support you get from hospices is amazing, because it is not just medical care or home-based care or pain management care, which the hospices are excellent at. There is also spiritual care, there’s access to social workers, and so many other things,” Meinert said.
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