Early Detection Of Prostate Cancer The Key

-
For many males worldwide the words prostate cancer drives an abundance of fear into their hearts and minds that only a man could understand. However, the sad reality is as a man grows older this increases his chances of developing prostate problems. According to the World Cancer Research Fund International more than 1.1 million cases of prostate cancer were recorded in 2012. The same source added that prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. Black men for some reason, tend to have a very high rate of prostate cancer, along with a higher death rate. The medical fraternity tells us that Jamaica has a very high rate and aggressive form of prostate cancer among the male population.
Like many other illnesses, early detection is critical to one’s survival. However, the cost of treatment for prostate cancer can be quite daunting, especially for the average male without health insurance. This fact was recently highlighted by a male reader to one of our local newspapers. He stated that after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer the cost for radiotherapy was $2million.  This is most outrageous. We all know the cost of health care is not cheap, however, when we begin to quote such numbers in the millions for treatment we are not giving the patient much choice. When one is diagnosed with a terminal illness that individual is most vulnerable. To add more stress to the patient with such astronomical costs it is very disturbing. In addition to the fear men face of being digital examined there is now an added factor which is certainly a deterrent to fighting prostate cancer.
The time has come for us to coordinate all stakeholders together to work on developing a more affordable policy to treat prostate cancer. It cannot be that we allow people to wither away and die because of their inability to afford and access health care.
Wayne Campbell
waykam@yahoo.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Insecticides, Air Travel And Safety

-
Image
We are not insects, we are human beings. To travel by air is a privilege. Air travel is a costly adventure as well.   Those of us who have been fortunate to travel oftentimes experience some amount of excitement leading up to that moment. This heightened sense of emotion happens to almost all of us irrespective of whether we are a frequent flyer or a first timer. This buzz never goes away regardless of whether you travel economy or first class. However, for some folks there is a sense of nervousness during travel. There are numerous lessons we can learn whenever we travel. For example, our outlook on life is often altered due to the interaction with other peoples and cultures. Once the airplane takes off and you begin to ascend into the clouds, sometimes of altitude unbelievable to those without this experience, one can feel like someone who is imprisoned until your flight lands and you disembark. It is usually at those altitudes that the airline crew informs you that they are going to
Read more

Vessels of Honour: Celestial Treasures

-
Image
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”- Psalm 51:10. Many of us have a skewed understanding of God our creator. In many instances we believe or are led to believe that in order to be used by God we must be pure and sinless. This tainted view undoubtedly also impacts our relationships we have with God. Having such a distorted view of God and what God demands from us oftentimes lead us into disobedience. The same is true concerning the weight of condemnation. It is for this reason why it is critical for us to spend time in the Word of God which is the Bible. We all need to know God for ourselves. We often make excuses to study the Bible, yet, we will spend hours on social media or hours gossiping people’s business. Nowhere is gossiping more pronounced than in the church. The church as we know it is not a place of honesty. Why do I say this? Oftentimes we turn to the church in our moments of weakness and vulnerability yet, the solace and compassion that
Read more

Interrogating Black Fatherhood

-
Image
“What I've realized is that life doesn't count for much unless you're willing to do your small part to leave our children all of our children a better world. Any fool can have a child. That doesn't make you a father. It's the courage to raise a child that makes you a father.”- Barack Obama. Fatherhood, especially black fatherhood oftentimes is not as celebrated as it should. As a result we continue to hear of the arguments surrounding my mother who fathered me. There are specific roles concerning the sexes and frankly speaking mothers cannot father children, likewise fathers cannot mother children. Indeed as a society we need to move the discussion away from these examples of oxymoron. This flawed premise has been around so long and unfortunately has become normalized in many societies. However, the time has come for us to have a serious and honest discussion as this argument must be interrogated and replaced with a sense of responsibility. In fact, there is one m
Read more