KUCHING: Stronger efforts are crucial to close gaps in cancer care, particularly for women and communities living in rural, remote and Indigenous areas.

Minister for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said in the context of Sarawak, this means ensuring advances in cancer prevention, screening and treatment reach not only those living near major hospitals, but also families in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.

“Sarawak is a large state with people living in cities, villages, longhouses and remote areas. Because of the distance, some women may find it difficult to get healthcare.

“Getting a breast examination may require hours of travel by road, river or boat. Women may also need to spend money on transport, accommodation and childcare, or lose income from taking time off work.

“Language, lack of information, fear and stigma can also make it harder to seek care,” she said in her keynote address entitled ‘Closing the Gaps — Women, Families and Equity in Cancer Care’ at the 13th Asian Pacific Organization for Cancer Prevention (APOCP) General Assembly and Scientific Conference held at a leading hotel here on Monday.

The event was graced by Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Professor Dr Sim Kui Hian.

Dato Sri Fatimah said the conference theme, ‘Cancer Intelligence for Action’, underscores the importance of translating knowledge, research and scientific advances into meaningful improvements in people’s lives.

She stressed that equity does not simply mean providing the same healthcare service to everyone, but recognising the different barriers faced by different communities and providing the support needed to overcome them.

“A woman’s postcode should not determine her chance of early cancer detection. Her ethnicity, income or language should not determine whether she receives timely treatment,” she said.

The Dalat Assemblywoman also emphasised that breast cancer is not merely a clinical issue, as its impact extends to children, livelihoods and the overall wellbeing of families and communities.

She said the response to cancer must therefore go beyond awareness campaigns and encompass a complete and compassionate pathway, from health education, prevention and early detection to diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, survivorship and, where required, palliative and end-of-life care.

Sharing Sarawak’s experience in reaching remote communities, she noted that some programmes require a combination of air, road and river travel to bring breast-health education and clinical breast examinations closer to women who may otherwise have limited opportunities to access such services.

“When women cannot easily reach healthcare, healthcare must find responsible and sustainable ways to reach them,” she said.

She further called for cancer services to be delivered in a culturally safe and respectful manner, particularly when serving Sarawak’s diverse Indigenous communities.

According to Dato Sri Fatimah, culturally safe care requires healthcare providers to understand local beliefs, family structures, communication practices and Indigenous concepts of health and wellbeing.

She also stressed the importance of involving Indigenous communities directly in the planning, development and evaluation of cancer-health programmes.

“Indigenous communities should be actively involved in planning and developing cancer-health programmes, rather than being viewed simply as recipients of healthcare services,” she said. -UKASnews