Prohibitive costs deny patients of the best treatment
The mention of cancer invariably conjures up a death sentence. It is Sabah’s fourth leading cause of death. Every year about 1,200 people die of it while about 1,400 new cases are reported. Oncologists (cancer specialists) however say many of these deaths could have been prevented as many cancers are treatable, if not curable, if only they were discovered early. And the latest drugs and state-of-the-art equipment can help patients with advance stage of the disease survive. Top health officials tried hard last month in Kota Kinabalu to paint a rosy picture of Sabah’s cancer care at the 34th Annual Scientific Congress of the Malaysian Oncological Society (Ascomos). Reality however speaks otherwise.
Sabah Insights 