Over 7,000 cancer cases were officially recorded in Togo last year

Health

Thursday, 07 December 2023 18:07

Over 7,000 cancer cases were officially recorded in Togo last year

(Togo First) - Togo recorded more than 7,000 new cancer cases last year. The Ministry of Health unveiled the figure on December 5, 2023, while presenting its cancer register, a tool that should help the country better manage cancer.

On the same day, the ministry launched in Lomé various awareness campaigns on the registration of cancer cases.

"Given the burden that cancer currently represents, it deserves to have dedicated structures and tools to secure data, quality data,” said Prof. Darre Tchin, who lectures at the University of Lomé and holds a degree in anatomy and pathological cytology. "It is depending on this quality data that actions and strategies will be taken to enable our country to better handle cancer cases."

The data will be collected on a population basis and will cover the entire territory in terms of cancer occurrence.

Countering a rise in cases

"The situation calls out to us. Because in 2022 alone, there were just under 8,000 new cases for Togo. These are cases that have been documented, knowing full well that there has been an underestimate," Professor Darre continues.

The new cancer registry also aims to provide comprehensive data.

These initiatives to raise awareness of the new registry come at a time when the number of cancer cases in the region is expected to rise in the medium term. Indeed, according to estimates by the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), by 2040, Togo is expected to see an increase of over 100% in both the incidence rate of new cancer cases and cancer-related deaths.

According to 2020 data, the most common cancers in women are breast (16.3% of all cases recorded in Togo, all sexes combined) and cervical (8.7% of all cases) cancers; and in men, prostate (9.6% of all cancers recorded this year), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (5.1%) and stomach cancer.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

REFORMS OVERVIEW

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At the fifteenth position, worldwide, and first in Africa, under the Starting a Business index of the 2020 Doing Business ranking, Togo sustains its reformative dynamics with more reforms….

ENFORCING CONTRACTS (more info)

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CONTRACT EXECUTION (more info)

Creation of special chambers of commerce for small debts • Creation of chambers of commerce at the Court of Appeal • Civil and commercial cases now handled by distinct clerks • Establishment of commercial courts in Lomé and Kara • Lawyers and bailiffs now have access to the FORSETI COMMERCIAL platform • A maximum period of 100 days was fixed to settle a commercial dispute .

TRADING ACROSS BORDERS (more info)

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In comparison to previous years, Togo has significantly improved its ranking on the “Trading across borders” index by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitalization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

CONSTRUCTION PERMIT (more info)

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GETTING ELECTRICITY (more info)

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PUBLIC PROCUREMENT (more info)

From professionalization to digitization, through legislative regulations, Togo’s public procurement framework is constantly being modernized. Several reforms have been implemented to improve the sector much to the benefit of the private sector, which is the focus of the National Development Plan.

PAYING TAXES AND DUTIES (more info)

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