Every day in Ukraine, more than 400 people learn that they have cancer. Monthly from this terrible disease kills about 7,500 Ukrainians, or about 250 people per day. Many patients, upon hearing the diagnosis, identify him with the verdict. Behind dry figures of statistics, which are difficult to feel are despair, grief and death of loved ones.
“Today, Ukraine 800 thousand people affected by cancer. According to the forecast, by 2020 the number of those who first fell ill with cancer, could reach 200 thousand per year, and the total number of cancer patients is considerably more than a million people,” — said in a forecast the Concept of the national program of fight against oncological diseases for the years 2017-2022, which is published by the National cancer Institute.
In men, doctors often diagnose lung cancer, colon cancer, stomach, prostate, mouth and throat, and women — cancer of the breast, colon, stomach, lung, cervical. More than one third of cancer cases are diagnosed at later stages, when the chances of recovery are low.
“The survival rate when cancer is known to depend on the stage at which the disease is detected. But for many people this fact seems to be exaggerated, they say, if it is cancer, it’s a sentence that diagnose the disease at early stages — a great success. But my experience shows something else: early detection is not a myth and it does not require any expensive methods of diagnosis, says a gynecological oncologist, a specialist in the prevention and treatment of female cancer pathology Lina Garagozov. And if the disease is found in the zero and first stages, the patient survival rate is over 90%, sometimes up to 98%. The chance of recovery in the 4th stage, only 5-6%, and in some cases — 2-3%. My personal experience confirms this — all the patients I’ve treated in the first stage, alive and healthy.”
According to the doctor, on the basis of its practice, many cases of early detection of the disease occur by chance. “I treated one woman. At one of the receptions she says, “And look at the same time my 26-year-old daughter.” Looked, it turned out that her harmless ectopia of the cervix, with which the girl lived a few years, transformed into a malignant form! Of course, the girl was cured, as the cancer was detected at an early stage. But because the disease was discovered quite by accident!” — says Lina Garagozov.
The chief physician of the Ternopil regional Oncology center Leonid Skrobot says that today the state program of funding diagnosis of the disease is poor. “The total funding does not cover all our costs. A few years ago, turning to us, you understand, partially, their costs will be covered from the state program, which today is practically not working,” says Shkrobot.
To ensure the access of cancer patients to modern methods of diagnostics and treatment of cancer, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation in 2008 launched the program “Cancer is curable”. This is the first and only in Ukraine the large-scale programme intended to introduce international technologies of diagnostics and treatment of oncological diseases in Ukraine. For the funds of Rinat Akhmetov Foundation from 2008 to 2013 purchased equipment for nine regional dispensaries: Lutsk, Ternopil, Khmelnytsky, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Rivne, Lviv, Uzhgorod, Donetsk. Thus, more than one third of the Ukrainian regional centers were provided with modern equipment. Hospitals installed units brachytherapy (a form of radiotherapy for the treatment of malignant tumors), offices of computer tomography, the Centers of radiotherapy and equipped unit wards for children with cancer.
And in 2012 there was a Mobile clinic for women with free mammography and other examinations. During its work, surveyed about 4,000 women.
“The equipment is transferred to the balance of cancer dispensaries, installed and running. But due to lack of public funding to pass on it examination, the patient is required to purchase supplies, the cost of which is from 1700 to 2700 UAH depending on the kind of installed equipment. So from February 2016 in the framework of the project “support to the dispensaries of Western Ukraine” Rinat Akhmetov Foundation provides free diagnostic services for children and IDPs in equipment purchased for dispensaries of Western Ukraine. Under this program have already been screened 194 child” — say in the Fund of Rinat Akhmetov. — All in all, the equipment that is purchased and works in the framework of the program “Cancer is curable”, passed the examination and treatment of more than 80 thousand patients, including nearly 800 children.”
According to Leonid Skrobot in the fight against cancer, the role of philanthropists that support medical institutions and patients, is invaluable. “If other diseases are not associated with temporary standards, the Oncology key role plays the time factor and early diagnosis. With limited state funding assistance of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation in solving the problems of cancer diagnosis is a big job, a good example to follow. After all, we should strive to help the people of Ukraine at the highest level, using advanced technology and equipment,” — said the chief doctor of Ternopil regional Oncology hospital.
