Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia officially launched the "National Cancer Prevention and Control Plan 2024-2034" at the opening of the Indonesia International Cancer Conference (IICC) 2024 in Bali on Thursday (Oct 3).
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin affirmed that the plan was a new milestone in the fight against the deadly disease in Indonesia.
He highlighted six main strategies formulated to strengthen efforts to prevent, detect, treat, and manage cancer.
"One of the main focuses of this plan is prevention and early detection. The government will intensively conduct educational campaigns to increase public awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle and early detection," Sadikin noted in a statement.
To accelerate case finding and ensure more effective cancer treatment, the minister remarked that the government was targeting screening and early detection to reach 70 percent through cervical cancer screening with the IVA method for women aged 30-50 years using the HPV DNA method.
In addition, the government would conduct lung cancer and colorectal cancer screening with specific targets in various age groups.
Sadikin noted that the government would also increase early screening for breast cancer through clinical examinations and USG.
"Cancer is a disease that is highly feared by the public. Actually, with the technology that is currently available, as long as it is detected early, it can be treated in 90 percent of the cases and be cured too," he stated.
Hence, the minister urged the public to undergo routine screening and not be apprehensive about getting examined.
"Prevention also exists, for example, cervical cancer can be prevented with HPV immunization," he noted.
To support cancer treatment, the government is committed to adding facilities and health equipment in hospitals across Indonesia. By 2027, additional diagnostic equipment, such as 276 mammograms, 236 CT scans, 34 SPECT-CTs, and eight PET-CTs, will be deployed.
Moreover, Sadikin stated that the government would increase the capabilities of hospitals in 514 districts and cities and 38 provinces to provide complete cancer services, including palliative care.
He expressed hope that with this comprehensive plan, Indonesia could serve as an example in cancer control at the regional and global levels.
