Shania Shayal Prasad 
The Fiji Cancer Society has raised apprehensions about the burden placed on families, which may dissuade individuals from pursuing medical treatment upon receiving a positive cancer diagnosis.
Clinical Nursing Manager of the society, Karolina Tamani, highlights that approximately 70 percent of women who undergo cancer screening and are diagnosed positively often turn to their spouses and families for guidance.
She adds that cancer takes an ugly form, as often many patients are advised against seeking medical attention.
“So what they do is run back to the men. They’re telling me to do this. The man said, “Stop.Don’t go. I challenge. I am not ashamed to say this because that is one of the challenges of getting them back after the result has identified them as having some changes.”
Tamani says it has now become a known fact that late detection and presentation to hospitals have become the norm.
“And then the men stop them. So what we are doing is staying back and respecting their rights to choose what services they have. And we are waiting, because at the end of the day, they will come back to us on the trolley.”
The society has increased home visits.
Several corporate businesses and organizations are marking “Pinktober” at their workplaces this month, dedicated to raising awareness about breast cancer.
