In addition to the suffering linked to the disease, cancer patients in Algeria must also face the shortage that affects certain drugs and the lack of infrastructure dedicated to their care. Faced with such an observation, the figures clearly indicate that the proliferation of cancer in Algeria is quite alarming.
According to professor Adda Bounedjar, head of the department of the center for the fight against cancer at Frantz Fanon hospital and president of the Algeria Society for Training and Research in Oncology (SAFRO), Algeria records around 50,000 new cases of cancer. every year. This oncologist, in a statement to radio sétif, indicated that the situation of cancer patients in Algeria is far from ideal, but without being qualified as catastrophic.
Cancer affects nearly 1,500 children each year
Still according to the same speaker, between 1,000 and 1,500 children are affected by cancer each year in Algeria. this figure is accompanied by a concern justified by the lack of specialized infrastructure in the care of these cancerous children.
In addition, breast cancer would be the most common type of cancer in Algeria, maintains professor Adda who specifies that 12,000 cases of breast cancer are identified each year in Algeria, or 25% of the total cases of cancer in the region. country. In the second position is colorectal cancer, which claims between 4,500 and 5,000 victims each year. A type of cancer that spreads quickly, and that can be avoided by eating a healthy diet and avoiding excessive consumption of fat.
According to this professor, the distribution of radiotherapy equipment underlines great inequalities at the national level. the professor gave the example of the centers of Ouergle, béchar, Adrar, and Oued Souf which have only one accelerator, while the average should be one accelerator for every 1 million citizens. the Algiers centers of Blida and Tizi Ouzou are also recording a lack of these devices which emit radiation that penetrates through the skin in order to irradiate the cancerous tumor.
