Geingob survived cancer

PRIME Minister Hage Geingob yesterday revealed that he survived prostate cancer after the illness was detected early enough for doctors to successfully treat it.

Speaking as part of the World Cancer Day commemoration yesterday in Windhoek, Geingob said he was able to fight cancer because he adhered to consultation and screening by doctors, which allowed them to detect it in its early stages and treated it before it could spread.

Geingob did not give further details about the disease and when The Namibian followed it up with his office to get more details, his personal assistant Liandro Mensah said the information the PM gave was enough.

“He is not willing to go into details,” Mensah said.

The PM urged Namibians to join the fight against cancer by undergoing regular screening, sticking to a healthy diet, being physically active and managing their body weight well.

Geingob said cancer continues to devastate people’s lives and to destroy their hopes and aspirations.

“This is why it is crucial to stop cancer in its tracks before it spreads. Screening is paramount in our battle against cancer since early detection is the key to surviving cancer,” he said, adding that there should be no stigma associated with cancer since it is a disease, which knows no race, age, social status or religion.

Meanwhile, statistics from the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) show that cancer has been on the rise in the country since 2006 with 1 625 cases detected as compared to 3 092 in 2012.

CAN chief executive officer Reinette Koegelenberg said there is a serious need for education about cancer in the country.

Koegelenberg said this was because most Namibians do not know cancer symptoms and, therefore, have it diagnosed very late, which makes it difficult for them to receive help.

“The more we can talk about it, the more people can know about it. Our aim is to get all Namibians, especially mothers to know the signs of a child who has cancer. This will help them look out for the symptoms,” she said.

Expressing the same sentiments as Geingob, Koegelenberg said regular screening and checkups are most important in helping to win the fight against cancer.

“If urgent action is not taken to raise awareness about the disease and we do not implement strategies to address cancer, it is projected to increase and will lead to alarming premature cancer deaths,” she said.

Koegelenberg further advised cancer patients to religiously follow their doctors’ instructions, “because failing to do so could be life threatening,” she said (see another story on page 6)

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