Cancer addiction

For centuries, oncological diseases have been one of the main enemies of humanity. Despite scientific research, in recent years, oncology has become a real scourge of humanity: many patients either die, or have to be treated for many years.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), last year in the world, doctors diagnosed more than 18 million new cases of cancer, and about 9.6 million people died from this terrible disease in the same year. According to experts, every fifth man and every sixth woman will get cancer at any stage of life. In addition, WHO representatives noted that it is likely that by 2040, 29 million new cases of the disease per year and 16 million deaths will be recorded worldwide.

According to the same organization, in 2018 the number of cancer patients in Azerbaijan also increased. So, last year, cancer was detected in 11,606 people in the country. The number of deaths from cancer amounted to 8,133. According to local organizations, in 2017, 11,192 patients were first diagnosed with cancer in Azerbaijan. The terrible statistics is growing from year to year, and the quality of care for cancer patients leaves much to be desired. Despite the frightening figures, practice shows that despite the fact that the incidence in the developed countries of the world is several times higher than in the developing countries, sick people from less developed countries, for example in Asia and Africa, are less likely to survive. The reason is the poor quality of medical care, poor nutrition, adverse environmental conditions, and other harmful factors.

Rahimov Araz is one of those who is fighting this terrible disease for several years- he is 30 years old. According to his father Rahimov Alemshah, the situation is very complicated and is aggravated by the absence of necessary medicines.

"My son has been treated at the Research Institute of Hematology and Transfusiology named after Eyvazov. I have no complaints about the staff of the Institute; I am satisfied with all the staff, from nurses to senior doctors. I have never been asked for money for treatment, or for those drugs that are given to the hospital. The problem arose recently. The fact is that my son suffers from the last stage of cancer, which requires quite different method of treatment. Now the doctor has prescribed medicines that are not in the hospital, and I have to buy them myself. I do not work; I do not have a permanent income, the son, for obvious reasons, too, although he has two young children. I want to appeal to the leadership of the country so that they help me get the medicines without which my son will die. A rather large amount of funds is allocated for medicine every year, is it impossible to provide oncological patients with the necessary medicines? ", said Alemshah Rahimov.

It is difficult to disagree with the unfortunate father. Of the long list of drugs that the doctor prescribed to Rahimov, only two are on the list of drugs that are given free of charge by the state to cancer patients. According to the Ministry of Health, in 2015, funds from the state budget are allocated for the free provision of medicines to certain groups of patients in accordance with 10 state programs. Among them is the "Program of measures to provide cancer patients with essential drugs against tumors".

The list of vital anticancer drugs and other drugs issued by oncology patients at the expense of the state in the framework of the "Program of measures for the supply of cancer patients with essential drugs against tumors" includes 229 drugs and medicines. Only these drugs are free of charge to citizens suffering from oncological diseases.

In 2019, according to the approved state budget, expenditures on health care will amount to 1.048 billion manat, which is by 301 million manat more than last year. A significant amount of these funds is allocated for the fight against cancer.

However, for some reason, the majority of cancer patients are forced to be treated at their own expense. For example, in Armenia, the state budget of which is several times smaller than the budget of Azerbaijan, from this year operations for malignant diseases will be carried out exclusively at the expense of the state. In addition, the Armenian authorities will pay for radiation therapy services. In Azerbaijan, the father of Araz Rahimov, who is dying of the absence of expensive drugs, is preparing to start a hunger strike.