189 new cases of colon cancer reported in 2007

Juda Azzopardi

May 19th 2009, 19:06

Dear P. Zahra please be appreciative of what the government of Malta is doing by helping these relatives of already colon cancer victims. I believe the message is a concern to make certain that these relaives do not fall victims of the same disease their loved ones were stricken by. You are lucky, in most countries around the world you are on your own unless you're covered by some kind of medical/health insurance.
Eat more greens, fruit and vegetables, be thankful and smile. Complaining causes stress and stress contributes to cancer. It's a fact of life.

Alfred Farrugia

May 19th 2009, 18:08

What type of tests or screening are we talking about here? Why draw a line at 65?

A good follow-up question could be: how many people are being encouraged to have a colonoscopy, and how many are actually undergoing this procedure? Prevention is better than cure. In this particular case, early detection could make all the difference between recovery, or a very painful experience, or worse. This type of procedure might also save our health system additional expenses in medical treatment that would be needed when this condition is detected too late.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/colonoscopy/co00009

Perhaps the time has come for the Ministry to launch a campaign concerning this procedure based on the facilities and funds available.

p.zahra

May 19th 2009, 13:26

Is the government offereing a good service by giving free tests to relatives who are over 65years old. Perhaps the parliamentary question should have asked the ages of the colon cancer victims.