WINDHOEK: The demand for financial assistance from the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) has surged in 2024, with the need for support escalating to N.dollars 2 million halfway through the financial year.
The increase in demand is mainly due to the rising number of vulnerable Namibians being diagnosed with cancer. On average, the association receives 120 new financial support requests each month, primarily from patients in State care and those on the lower-tier options of the Public Service Employees Medical Aid Scheme (PSEMAS), CAN Chief Executive Officer, Rolf Hansen, told Nampa in an interview on Thursday.
Hansen said the Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project continues to play a crucial role in supporting cancer patients in Namibia through its funding of various programmes and initiatives.
He said that 30 per cent of the monies received from the 2024 Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project, the association’s largest fundraising project, will go to the National Cancer Outreach Programme.
This plan will be rec
onfigured in 2025 to align with Namibia’s new National Cancer Control Plan, an initiative aimed at decentralising cancer care throughout the country.
‘The repositioning of the National Cancer Outreach Programme is part of a larger effort to improve access to diagnostic and treatment options,’ Hansen said.
This technique has already been used in the national cervical cancer programme and the new breast clinic programme.
Hansen further said in addition to funds granted to the National Cancer Outreach Programme, 20 per cent of the proceeds from the Apple Project will be directed to the national palliative care programme.
The remaining 50 per cent of the funds will be directed to the patient financial assistance programme.
This initiative provides financial assistance to patients by offering N.dollars 700 for the first three months after treatment begins, along with transportation and lodging to ensure treatment compliance, and assistance with co-payments and medication purchases.
Source : The Namibia News
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