Foundation eases the burden of cancer patients
Foundation eases the burden of cancer patients
By Rita A. Widiadana
JAKARTA (JP): Cancer is an indiscriminate disease, a leading
killer worldwide, second only to heart diseases. It strikes the
rich and the poor.
In Indonesia, cancer affects about 100 out of 100,000 people
annually. Unfortunately, only a small number of these people
receive medical treatment.
"Treatment for cancer-related diseases is very costly and only
a few cancer sufferers have access to proper medical care," Mrs.
Karlina Umar Wirahadikusuma, chairperson of the non-profit
organization Indonesian Cancer Foundation, said.
Due to various reasons, including ignorance and poverty, only
about 50 percent of all people affected by cancer receive medical
attention, she pointed out. Some 40 percent of those who finally
do see doctors and are treated in hospitals cannot recover
because their illnesses have reached advanced stages.
In l989, cancer was the sixth leading cause of death in
Indonesia. Today it ranks as the country's fifth major cause of
death. Cancer of the cervix accounts for 73.2 percent of all
female cancer sufferers, followed by breast cancer, lymphoid
cancer and skin cancer.
According to data from the Ministry of Health, Indonesia sees
an additional 190,000 people affected with cancer each year. At
least one fifth of those are terminal cases.
There are more than 100 types of cancer, but all have in
common an uncontrollable growth and spread of abnormal cells.
Many people mistakenly believe that a diagnosis is a death
sentence. Survival rates are increasing as more earlier diagnoses
are made.
"It is a pity that many people are still unaware of the danger
of cancer. It is high time for us to fight cancer before it
claims more victims," she adds.
Established on April 17, l977 by seventeen prominent figures,
including former vice president Moh. Hatta, the late minister of
health G.A. Siwabessy, former Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin and
Sudarto Pringgoutomo, the foundation is painstakingly trying to
provide various facilities to help ease the burden of cancer
sufferers, in particular among low-income groups.
The foundation is a member of the Switzerland-based
International Union Against Cancer and a member of the Asia
Pacific Federation of Organizations for Cancer Research Control.
The foundation has branches throughout the country's 27
provinces. The foundation has set up a cooperation with the
Program for Appropriate Technology in Health and has developed a
manual, for health educators and trainers, containing basic
information on various types of cancer. To disseminate
information on cancer nationwide, the foundation cooperates with
local organizations, such as provincial health institutions, and
the family welfare movement.
The foundation also carries out several courses, including
Hospice Home Care, which is aimed at equipping medical staff and
volunteers with information on how to guide families on treating
and living with people who have terminal cancer.
There are actually many more programs that have yet to be
implemented. Due to financial constraints, these programs, such
as research and education, are yet to be implemented.
"Our main concern now is to raise as much funds as possible to
help low-income cancer sufferers get proper medical attention,"
Emma Hassan, another member of the foundation, said.
The foundation, for instance, provides medical assistance and
allowances for low-income sufferers nationwide, to enable them to
obtain medicines. The foundation also has the right to sell drugs
for treating cancer at half the market price, Emma explained.
The foundation spends about Rp 100 million (US$44,444)
annually on its activities.
"We urgently need donations from the public because the
foundation has to support many more cancer patients," said Emma.