Skopje, 4 February 2025 (MIA) - Rising cancer rates, especially among young people, highlight the need for early detection as top priority, and more comprehensive measures are needed in terms of prevention itself, said speakers at Tuesday's debate in the Government on the occasion of World Cancer Day - February 4.

Deputy Health Minister Jovica Andonovski pointed out that the Ministry of Health is committed to accessible, quality and fair healthcare for all citizens. He noted that the Ministry is already implementing national screening for breast, cervical and colon cancer in accordance with European Union and WHO recommendations. 

"The program for early detection and screening for malignant diseases is only one of its kind, based on European experiences with ongoing improvements in the quality of the methodology," said Andonovski.

He added that liver cancer screening and introduction of digital modules for real-time monitoring of the process are planned in 2025. He noted that national studies on malignant diseases enable informed policies and efficient allocation of resources.

Andonovski said the budget for this program in 2025 stands at Mden 23 million.

According to data that has been processed, he said, breast cancer screening coverage from 2023 to October 2024 is 12,473 women, and uterus cancer screening coverage is 50,529 women, in the same period.

"We see an increase in coverage of breast screening and cervical cancer screening. These data indicate a significant increase in coverage compared to previous years. The breast cancer screening program covers women aged 40 to 69, who can register on the program's website, and in 2025, it will also be possible to schedule a screening through their primary care physicians," Andonovski said. 

According to him, the state is also investing in procurement of equipment and gradual replacement of analogue with digital technology.

"Liver cancer screening is introduced in 2025. The Ministry is making intensive efforts this year to provide a system for digital connection of the current breast cancer screening equipment," said the Deputy Minister of Health.

Health Insurance Fund director Sasho Klekovski said discussions are underway with family gynaecologists about including HPV tests as a way of early detection of cervical cancer.

According to him, more comprehensive measures are needed to prevent smoking in the country, since it is among the countries with the relatively highest percentage of smokers.

"The dilemmas we have in the Fund regarding prevention and early detection are that sometimes it is more difficult for us to decide to allocate one hundred million denars for preventive examinations for prostate cancer, while we would have no problem allocating those one hundred million in the treatment budget, because we are still too focused on treatment and not enough on prevention and early detection," said Klekovski. 

He mentioned that talks are under way to increase the number of PET scans from two to three thousand per year, which will require the purchase of a second PET scanner. According to him, the institution itself meets conditions for this, but they are working on the financial construction.

"What we have now done for radiotherapy at the Oncology Clinic is a large increase in the budget, in 2025 it will amount to Mden 3 billion, i.e. EUR 49.5 million. The budget is also growing for the Haematology Clinic, and in 2025 it will amount to Mden 808 million," said Klekovski. 

He also mentioned that lower prices have been enabled for certain medicines by 10 to 30 percent.

Heads of the University Clinic for Radiotherapy and Oncology and the '8 September' hospital, Igor Stojanovski and Sinisha Stojanovski respectively, also addressed Tuesday's debate at the Government on World Cancer Day.

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