Tulips charity members call on govt
MEMBERS of the Help Those With Cancer Association (Tulips) gathered in front of Parliament on Monday to draw attention to the importance of early diagnosis and screening for cancer and call for funds to pay for screening to be set aside in the state Budget.
The Tulips board of directors, all wearing black and holding signs stating which parts of the country they represent, delivered letters containing cancer diagnosis and screening data to Prime Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu and Parliament Speaker Zorlu Töre. The letters called for at least 70 per cent of the “at risk population” to be screened for cancer.
They said that the reason they wore black was not to protest but to represent the “darkness that patients diagnosed with cancer fall into” and the state of “not knowing what to do”.
Speaking in front of the Parliament building, Tulips chair Raziye Kocaismail said that a “state policy” should be established and free screenings should be carried out in order to protect individuals before they get cancer.
“Over 20,000 cancer patients in the country are pulling the people around them into darkness, along with themselves,” Mrs Kocaismail said. “This is almost half of our population. We need to put a stop to this.”
As a result of 200 screening tests carried out for 50TL each the previous week, Mrs Kocaismail pointed out that they detected three people with a high PSA (prostatespecific antigen) test result who “may develop cancer in the coming years” but that after a cancer diagnosis, the treatment will be “much more
expensive and risky”.
She noted that early detection screenings by the state are a step that will “protect both human health and the state budget”.
Dr Sucuoğlu described cancer as a “bleeding wound of the country and the world”.
Pointing out that the most important factor of cancer is early diagnosis, the PM said: “Our duty in the fight against cancer is to further expand early diagnosis and to provide this to our citizens free of charge if necessary.
“You can run 100 tests, even if you only find one case, it is a life, it is a family. Therefore, we have a heightened awareness regarding this issue. We will try and do whatever we can in this regard.”
Mr Töre said that he “admired” the work carried out by Tulips and that “many of our people’s lives have been saved by early diagnosis”.
Noting that “everyone in the country has a family member with cancer or someone who has died from cancer”, Dr Töre emphasised that “this is a difficult fight, the medications are expensive and sometimes there are drug shortages”.
He added: “For early diagnosis, screening all of
society has become inevitable. Otherwise, this disease cannot be minimised. Now our Parliament will do its part.”
The letters given by Tulips to Dr Sucuoğlu and Mr Töre also included the following cancer screening data:
BREAST CANCER SCREENING
Population at risk ages 40-69: 56,681 women (2020 population data) Screenings are done at twoyear intervals. A minimum of 70 per cent will have a mammography: First year: 39,681 women Second year: 19,840 women “If we were to start screening in January 2023 we would need to have 1,653 mammographies every month but only a maximum of eight to 10 can be done per day at Lefkoşa Dr Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital.”
CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING
Population at risk ages 35-60: 75,556 women Minimum 70 per cent to be screened: 52,889 women Number of women to be screened in the first year: 26,445
“Starting January 2023, we should screen 2,204 women per month. In order for screening to be possible, campaign dates should be determined and healthcare centres should be provided with equipment and gynaecological support.”
COLON CANCER SCREENING
Population at risk ages 50-75: 75,158 people Minimum 70 per cent to be screened: 52,610 people
People to be screened each year: 26,305 “If screening begins in January 2023, 2,176 people per month. With proper scheduling, healthcare centres can also be supported on campaign days and can reach 100 per cent.”