60 infected people per day… “slow death” stalks cancer patients in Tunisia

“It was a big surprise when I learned two years ago that I had cancer. I am a mother of four children and come from a weak family and we do not have enough money to continue the treatment the train stopped and I had to prepare for the eternal separation of my family.” This is how Maryam (38 years old) spoke to Al Hurra about her experience with cancer.

Maryam is one of the cancer patients in Tunisia, who joined 18,770 new patients in 2023 alone, according to the Tunisian Ministry of Health, distributed between 10,850 males and 8,620 females, while estimates by the government institute “Saleh Aziz” specializing in the treatment of diseases shows that more than 22,000 new cases of cancer were registered last year, an average of 60 cases per day.

Tunisia, like other countries around the world, celebrates the “Pink October” amid intense campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of early screening for cancer of Tunisians, and raises fears of the inability of centers health to meet their therapeutic needs.

Treatment paths for this disease reveal stories of the suffering of Tunisians due to problems related to the financial resources, medicines and equipment available to cancer patients in Tunisian hospitals.

A slow death

Maryam admits that her journey with treatment was “worse” than her illness, as she comes from Kasserine Governorate, in the central west of the country, and has to travel more than 200 kilometers to a government hospital ” Saleh Aziz” in Tunis.

She explained, “I came to the hospital and found long lines waiting to be turned in for tests.

She said, “Maybe I was luckier than others, because one of the doctors directed me to the address of the Cancer Patients Association, who accepted my medical file and intervened to provide accommodation to me in Dar Al Khadra and who took on himself part of the costs But this does not prevent the reality of what large numbers of cancer patients are facing in Tunisia.

Maryam’s story crosses the experiences of Amal (45 years old), who is from Tozeur Governorate in the south-west of the country. Amal was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021, but did not start treatment until two years later, due to the family’s weak capabilities and high treatment costs.

Amal told Al-Hurra: “I had a mastectomy, but I often have to postpone treatment sessions because of the lack of chemotherapy machines, as well as the lack of medicines and their high prices.”

Amal continues, saying that “the suffering of cancer patients in Tunisia makes the treatment journey they are going through” more like a struggle with a slow death “Most people did not choose to you see in public hospitals treatment there and they suffered the disabilities and weak abilities they suffer, as well as the trouble of traveling long distances.” It could exceed 500 kilometers, to the extent that their limited financial capabilities and high treatment costs in private clinics forced them to do so.”

According to reports by surgical oncologists in Tunisia to local media, the treatment period for women with breast cancer requires 15 chemotherapy sessions, at a cost estimated at around $1,300 in the private sector, and the cost rises to around $2,500 when taking into account the clinic stay and medication costs.

Alarm

Although treatment protocols, of all kinds, must adhere to certain intervals that are usually no longer than 15 days between each session, to ensure an effective response from the patient’s body to the treatment, the “incapacity” of the system take public health. All patient care leads to “delayed appointments.” Treatment goes from a year to a year and a half,” according to the head of the Cancer Patients Association, Rawda Zarrouk.

Zarrouk told Al-Hurra that the figures announced about the number of cancer patients do not reflect the reality of the situation in the country, saying, “The number is higher than that, without a national registry for this disease.

The head of the non-governmental organization says that the Ministry of Health approves three different records distributed between the north, center and south.

She emphasized that the development of this disease “requires sounding the alarm and it is necessary to investigate early so that treatment is possible, does not put a financial and moral burden on the patient, and does not increase the burden on the state in providing medicines, “noting that “every delay in this matter will reduce the possibility of recovering from it.”

The Cancer Patients’ Association takes care of around 15,000 patients every year, providing accommodation and follow-up for patients during treatment stages in coordination with public and private hospitals, according to Rawda Zarrouk.

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy centers are distributed in 5 government hospitals in Tunisia, located in the governorates of Gabes and Sfax in the southeast of the country and Sousse, Tunis, Ariana and Jendouba in the north.

Go to relief

For his part, the head of the surgical department at Saleh Aziz Hospital, Tariq Bin Dhiyab, admits that there is a shortage of medicines and long schedules for radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as overcrowding in hospitals.

He told Al-Hurra that the surgical department of the hospital that specializes in cancer diseases is proceeding in a “normal way” according to the roles previously set, denying that any delay was recorded.

He emphasizes that the situation in Tunisian hospitals is “likely to improve” after signing an agreement between the National Health Insurance Fund (Knam) (government) and the country’s private clinics, according to which this fund covers the costs of x-ray tests performed by patients in the private sector, as well as a move to expand the specialized departments for this disease.

way of life

The head of the surgery department at Saleh Aziz Hospital explains that the number of cancer cases in Tunisia is “on the rise,” noting that the number cannot be determined because there is no national registry. there that counts cases.

However, he draws attention, on the other hand, to what he considers to be reasons that contribute to the increase in cases of the disease in Tunisia, which are linked to “a change in lifestyle Tunisians,” according to legislation, including “The demand for unhealthy food, as well as obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and frequent use of chemicals.”

The health expert points out that the most common cancers among women in Tunisia are breast, colon, and rectal cancer, while lung, bladder and prostate cancers are widespread among men.