Mongolia: new programme to tackle cancer mortality rates

In recent years, a national screening programme has been launched and already reaches 40% of the population

In Mongolia, the diagnosis of cancer is often a death sentence. The late diagnosis, combined with the challenges of geography and limited resources, makes the fight against cancer an unequal battle. Despite this, the country is trying to reverse this trend with an ambitious screening programme, but there is still a long way to go.

One of the countries with the highest cancer mortality rate

Mongolia, a large and sparsely populated country, has one of the highest cancer mortality rates in the world. This alarming figure is mainly due to three factors: late diagnosis, ignorance about the disease and the controls to be carried out and inequalities in access to treatment.

Late diagnosis

Many Mongols, especially in rural areas, do not have access to regular screening and when they get sick the disease is often at an advanced stage. ‘ Most cancer cases in Mongolia are not diagnosed until late stages, when the prognosis becomes poor,’ says Erdenekhuu Nansalmaa, director general of the National Cancer Centre. ‘Mongolia’s geography and demography contribute to the problem. Almost 30% of the Mongols lead a nomadic lifestyle, grazing livestock in remote areas far from health facilities.”

Ignorance of the disease and the controls to be carried out

Poor knowledge of cancer symptoms, risk factors and screening procedures is a widespread problem across the country. Many Mongols, such as Khyuvasuren Lkhagvasuren, a school janitor in Erdenet, had never heard of mammography before they became ill. ” I did not know that breast cancer was possible,” he said.

Inequalities in access to care

Testimonies from patients like Lkhagvasuren and her husband Nergui, a shepherd who had to sell his livestock to pay for his wife’s care, highlight the economic and logistical difficulties many Mongols face when they get cancer. “We normally spend money on school supplies and uniforms for our three children. This year, we will not be able to buy them,” said Nergui

New programme, new hope

The Mongolian government and non-governmental organisations are working to improve access to cancer care. In particular, a national screening programme has been launched in recent years and already reaches 40% of the population. However, there is still a long way to go and significant investment in infrastructure, training of health personnel and awareness campaigns are needed to raise awareness on cancer prevention and early detection.

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