CAN learns to co-exist with Covid-19

As the Cancer Association of Namibia readies for lively 2022 calendar, CEO Rolf Hansen remains sentimental about the incredible support they received from Namibians
Wetumwene Shikage
Iréne-Mari van der Walt

After being forced to bow out due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) CEO, Rolf Hansen, says the show must go on.

“We started reactivating our national cancer outreach programme in 2021; then Delta broke out and we realised that people were very afraid to do to hospitals and clinics. We decided for the safety of our staff and in order to not waste money, we would stop the programme. However, 2022 is the year of learning to co-exist with this virus,” says Hansen.

Currently, Hansen says the Cancer Association of Namibia is anticipating a congestion in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

“Over the last two years there has been less screening for cancer so we are expecting to see bottlenecks at our healthcare facilities. We will be seeing late screening, late reporting and late diagnosis. This late diagnosis and staging means we are going to see more critical and advanced cases,” he says.