VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian Government stressed the importance of increasing the knowledge and understanding of the community about cancer, ahead of World Cancer Day 2018. Director of Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Mohamad Subuh, in Jakarta, on Wednesday (31/1) said that the public should be able to reduce both mortality and morbidity rate cause of cancer with proper knowledge. In addition to that, according to him, the proper knowledge and education should also changes public healthy living.

“ There are some points that we want to remind regarding the World Cancer Day. First, is to improve public knowledge and understanding about cancer disease. The more people understand about cancer, how it happens, how to avoid it, how to get access to healthcare, we should be able to reduce mortality as well as morbidity rate of that disease. We expect to raise some understanding on healthy life with such knowledge. These two are crucial in every cancer day commemoration.”

World Cancer Day is commemorated every February 4 of each year. The World Cancer Day commemorative theme from 2016 to 2018 is' We Can. I can'. This theme aims to spread the message that everyone, whether together or individually, can take a role in reducing the burden and cancer problems. In Indonesia, the burden of cancer is still quite high. Based on the results of Basic Health Research in 2013, the prevalence of tumors or cancer in Indonesia is 1.4 per 1,000 residents or about 347,000 people. The highest cancer in women is breast and cervical cancer, while in men is lung cancer. (ndy)