Men are being challenged to ask their wives to get a pap smear and get tested for breast cancer as sometimes, when women get something in their report and require further testing, they are told by their husbands to stop and not to return to the doctor.
While speaking to FijiFirst MPs in Opposition Chambers in Parliament during their Pinktober event, Fiji Cancer Society Clinical Nurse Karolina Tamani says they respect their right to choose but the clinicians have to wait because at the end of day, these women will come back in a trolley.
She says there is no wonder there a lot of cases because women are being prevented from getting tested.
Tamani says to prevent cervical cancer, 13-year-old girls are being given HPV vaccination so when schools request parents for their approval to get vaccinated, they should give it.
She says 90 percent have gotten their first dose but the second dose drops to 60 or 70 percent because girls leave school, migrate or some other reason.
The Clinical Nurse says while doing outreach in Nadarivatu, she was told the some parents do not allow for the test to be done because of the fear that their daughters will become sexually active.
Tamani says they are having discussions on how to get defaulters to get their second dosage.
While responding to Opposition MP Jone Usamate’s question if there is any proof that herbal medicine works, she says because of fear, anxiety, stigma and looking at medical intervention and removal of a breast, women chose the friendly option but it only allows the disease to progress to a stage that may not be manageable in the hospital.
She is also urging men to get a blood test done for prostate cancer.
Meanwhile, Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto says his father died because of cancer when he was in class 8 just before his Fiji Eighth Year Exam.
He says he spent two weeks with him knowing that he was going to die and then sat for his class 8 exam.
The MP says his children never got to know their grandparent.
Naupoto is also urging everyone to get tested.
