With cancer being one of the most prominent killers in the nation, calls are being made to seek professional medical help when someone is diagnosed with this disease rather than opting for traditional or herbal medicine, which will not cure any cancer.
This was stressed by breast cancer survivor Farnia Simion and Fiji Cancer Society nurse and Project Facilitator Alumita Bera while speaking on fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan.
Simion says her family had advised her to seek herbal medication when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021.
She says they visited some traditional healers close to their home, but this did not help because the pain still lingered.
She adds that one day, she told her husband that they needed to visit the hospital to seek medical advice because traditional and herbal medicine was not working.
Fiji Cancer Society nurse and Project Facilitator Alumita Bera says one of the things they found out is that when women are diagnosed with cancer, the first solution they look to is herbal medicine.
She says some women sign off their discharge forms from the hospital, and when they reach home, they opt for herbal and traditional medicine.
Bera says one of the drawbacks of herbal medicine is that when patients opt to visit the hospital, the damage is excessive.
She further says when the women come to the hospital, their breast looks like a breadfruit cooked on open fire.
She adds the breasts are swollen and filled with puss, and the pain is unbearable.
The Fiji Cancer Society nurse says they are also raising awareness that breast cancer can affect anyone who has a breast, including males.
She says the cases continue to increase every year.
Bera hopes that once people are diagnosed with cancer, they will seek medical treatment from the hospital.
