South Sudan launches cancer registry
The new registry aims to improve data collection and analysis of cancer cases nationwide.
South Sudan inaugurated its first National Population-Based Cancer Registry at Juba Teaching Hospital on Thursday. The registry will help health authorities collect, analyze, and report information on cancer cases, including types, distribution, and treatment outcomes. This initiative aims to address the long-standing struggle with a lack of reliable national cancer data, which has made understanding the disease's scale difficult.
Caretaker health minister Dak Doup Bichok stated that previous cancer figures, estimated at 8,124 new cases and 5,128 deaths within five years, were modelled and largely based on data from neighboring countries. Dr. Albino Amum, Director of the Cancer Registry at Juba Teaching Hospital, explained that the registry will gather information from public and private clinics through trained staff, following recommendations from the African Cancer Registry Network.
The registry, initially based at Juba Teaching Hospital, faces challenges including limited funding, a shortage of trained registrars, fragmented health information systems, and poor communication. The initiative is supported by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Concern for Women, and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which are providing essential equipment.
Why it mattersSouth Sudanese citizens affected by cancer will benefit from improved data collection, leading to better policy decisions, planning, resource allocation, and treatment.