THE Fiji Cancer Society says the biggest challenge for them is trying to advocate healthy living to Fijians during their outreach programs.
“We will keep on reminding and emphasise the need for people to be careful with their diet, stop drinking fizzy drinks, their sugar and salt intake,” program manager Darisha Kishore Datt said.
“But if people keep ignoring, then we will continue to have more cases of noncommunicable disease.”
She added they referred a few cases of abnormal findings after they conducted breast and Pap smear tests at their outreach program in Naimasimasi Village, Tailevu last week.
“When we do our outreach programs, we encourage women to go and get tested.
“For Pap smear, they can have it once every three years unless advised otherwise.
“It’s important to know the symptoms and to go and get help,” she said.
She added that in Fiji, they had seen a trend that a lot of younger women were now diagnosed with cervical cancer.
Ms Datt said social habits of people needed to change.
“Smoking and drinking, if not controlled, can also bring problems,” she said.
Ms Datt added it was important for people to make the right choice and for the people of Fiji to work together in combating non-communicable diseases.
The Fiji Cancer Society is making plans to have more outreach programs in rural communities this year and at the same time try to meet the target set by the World Health Organization.
“The target by WHO is to eliminate cervical cancer by 2020,” she said.