KUCHING: The Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS) is urging its stakeholders to post messages of hope and appreciation on the international Tree of Life website in conjunction with the International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) 2022.
This is following the joint three-year campaign undertaken by Childhood Cancer International (CCI) and the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) for ICCD 2022.
“The CCI and SIOP have combined forces to take the second step in the joint three-year campaign by showcasing the essential role of healthcare professionals in improving the survival and quality of life of children and adolescents with cancer across the globe as well as launching the ICCD Advocacy Toolkit.
“As a member of the CCI, we are taking part in the campaign and we would like to urge our stakeholders to post messages of hopes and appreciation on the international Tree of Life website. Besides that, we want to create a physical Tree of Life in the main childhood cancer treatment ward in Sarawak at the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH),” the SCCS stated in a statement on Monday (Feb 14).
The society’s president Rodney Wong lauded the campaign noting that the importance of well-trained healthcare workers cannot be denied in the proper treatment of childhood cancer.
“We are proud to recognise the health workers who are dedicated to caring for children with cancer, especially through the last two years. This year’s ICCD theme of #throughyourhands aptly pays tribute to the health care team and the positive impact they have on the lives of children and adolescents with cancer.
“We are looking forward to working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to implement its Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) in Malaysia which include health workforce training as one of its priority actions,” he said.
The organisation disclosed that around 400,000 children (0 to 19 years) are diagnosed with cancer each year and childhood cancers are a leading cause of mortality in many countries.
The five-year survival varies from 80 per cent to as low as 20 per cent in some settings especially low-and-middle-income countries and childhood cancers are an increasing global disease burden marked by pronounced inequalities.
“Childhood cancer treatment is cost-effective even in resource-limited settings. Health professionals’ central role in providing these services save lives and contributes to survivors’ healthy and productive adulthoods,” it added.
Meanwhile, CCI president João de Braganca praised the professionals working tirelessly to improve childhood cancer outcomes.
“Multi-disciplinary health professionals including doctors, nurses, and allied professionals such as physical and play therapists provide an irreplaceable contribution to the well-being of young cancer patients, their families, and survivors and deserve the utmost admiration and support,” he said.
At the same time, SIOP president Kathy Pritchard-Jones emphasised the need to counter the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers.
“The evidence is clear, COVID-19 has led to a substantial emotional and physical toll which often resulted in staff shortages. It is crucial to address these issues for the sake of professionals’ well-being and to improve the provision of treatment and care, particularly in resource-limited settings,” she said.
The ICCD campaign aims to amplify the visibility of childhood cancer at all levels and reach the breadth of stakeholders with the power to cause life-saving change.
