A husband of a cancer survivor in Lae says more awareness is needed for people to be well informed of the signs and symptoms relating to cancer.
Wallis Pingin, a longtime resident in Lae, says when his wife, Joy, was diagnosed in 2015, they were not aware of the signs and symptoms that she had cancer.
Pingin says they are part of the large majority of people in this country who are yet to be informed so that they can go to the hospital for testing.
But, Pingin decided to seek medical treatment overseas, and raised funds to take his wife to the Philippines for treatment.
They had spent over K100,000 for his wife to get the medical treatment she needed.
From his experience he believes more awareness is needed to educate people on the signs and symptoms of cancer.
Pingin is encouraging people to go for testing, so that early diagnosis and treatment can be done at an early stage.
Last week, Health secretary, Pascoe Kase, told media that the national health department is aware of the cancer problems, and has plans to solve the problem.
For now, there are other treatments available to treat cancer patients in the country. However, most people go to the hospital in later stages, making it impossible for any chance of remission.
While the health department has plans to solve the cancer problem in the country.
The PNG Cancer Unit still needs an oncologist. A specialist doctor who can operate the cobalt machine and prescribe radiotherapy treatment for patients.
