The BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA) said it has realized that cancer is an issue in the territory, and it is working to see how best the problem can be addressed.
Chief Executive Officer of the Authority Darlene Carty Baptiste said a cancer registry is likely to be established as part of an innovative Cancer Prevention and Control Programme.
“We are looking at screening services and screening capabilities or even developing a tumor register or cancer registry, and looking at the number of cancers and document it throughout the BVI,” she told journalists on Monday.
Carty Baptiste further stated that the full-fledged programme to be implemented by the BVIHSA will look at cancer specific diseases while getting affected persons into care and on a treatment plan specific to their family disposition or pre-disposition.
She stated that the Authority is in the official stages of planning after starting talks last week about the programme.
“We know that cancer is an issue within our community and it needs to be addressed,” Carty Baptiste said.
“Whether we do specifics with an extension with our HIMA partnership because we do have the oncologist and hematologist that come here… We are just determining how best to do it, and again it’s limited by resources but we know it’s a necessity.”
The Chief Executive Officer said the Authority will work along with the Ministry and the Cancer Society to have the Cancer Prevention and Control Programme.
