TZW
The Medical Officer-in Charge for the Bukoba Regional Referral hospital, Dr John Mwombeki, told the ‘Daily News on Saturday’ in an interview that it is important to equip journalists with skills to help them improve their reporting on statistical data and other health-related issues.
Many reporters misrepresent information through interpretation of health-related issues as they do not understand the area.
Some journalists do not understand health terms or how to interpret and analyse them. Journalists particularly those who cover health news must have the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to report effectively and impactfully, he said.
He also appealed to residents in the area to invest in health and avoid factors that stimulate cancer and other diseases.
“People should report to hospitals and health facilities for early detection, diagnosis and treatment and mostly importantly, prevention against cancer. The life threatening medical condition costs the lives of at least 40,000 Tanzanians a year,” he said.
According to Dr Mwombeki, cervical and prostate cancer was on the increase calling for deliberate measures among all stakeholders to educate the public on its causes and prevention against the killer disease.
He explained that about 141 patients were diagnosed with prostate cancer at the Bukoba Regional Referral hospital as a team of 15 specialists doctors from Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) and Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) provided specialised treatment recently.
About 59 patients implying 41.8 per cent out of 141 patients who were diagnosed with prostate cancer underwent major operations, he said. Going into details, he said every year about 1,200-1,300 Tanzanian men are diagnosed with prostate cancer, and many more may have contracted the disease but do not know about it.
It is one of the most common forms of cancer in men around the world.
Prostate cancer, also known as Carcinoma of the prostate, is the development of cancer in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing, however, some grow relatively quickly.
The cancer cells may spread from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly the bones and lymph nodes. It may initially cause no symptoms. In later stages it can lead to difficulty urinating, blood in the urine, or pain in the pelvis, back or when urinating.