Mauritius marked the World Cancer 2023 at national level with high commitment to reduce barriers to life-saving preventive services while focusing on raising awareness on cancer. The World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Mauritius, Dr Anne Marie Ancia, the Parliamentary Private Secretary, Mr Serge Gilbert Bablee, and other personalities attended the event in the presence of the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr the Hon Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal.
World Cancer Day 2023, commemorated around the world on 04 February marks the second year of the global campaign “Close the care gap” which focuses on building stronger alliances and new innovative collaborations in the fight against cancer by “uniting our voices and taking action”.
On the commemoration of this important world day event in Mauritius on 06 February at Camp Fouquereaux Social Welfare Centre, Plaines Wilhems, the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr the Hon Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal emphasized the importance of regular screening and early diagnosis to better treat cancer and saving lives.
It was an occasion to raise awareness on cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection and treatment. Cancer being the leading cause of death worldwide and accounted for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020 or nearly one in six deaths.
The Minister of Health and Wellness said, “cancer is the third main cause of death in Mauritius. According to the National Cancer Registry, some 2,866 new cases of cancer were detected in 2021, including 1,185 men and 1,681 women". Around 18.7% men suffer from prostate cancer while 35.2% women suffer from colorectal cancer and cervical cancer, he added. Dr Hon Jagutpal drew attention on the alarming statistics for cigarettes and alcohol consumption. He urged everyone to stay away from risk behaviours such as tobacco use, physical inactivity and unhealthy eating habits. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and practice physical exercises regularly can reduce one’s risk of developing cancer by 40%.
