MEDICAL professionals need to work with those offering herbal treatment to women suffering from cancer to make them aware of the dangers of late diagnosis of the disease.
This was highlighted by Dr Ilaitia Delasau who is a consultant general surgeon at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva in an interview with this newspaper.
He said since herbal treatment was part of iTaukei culture, there was a strong belief to go to people who offered such treatments.
“I think it’s important to educate them that cancer can be cured if it’s presented early,” he said.
“If we educate them and work with them they can help bring these women to us because they need to understand when women come in and present their cancers like they are presenting at the moment, we can’t help them.”
Dr Delasau said breast cancer could only be cured if it was detected earlier.
“If the cancer is still within the breasts we can remove the breast and the woman can live normally.”
He added that medical professionals should not work against these herbal healers.
“We can’t be fighting each other. We really need to work together to improve the health of the Fijian people because this is part of us, we cannot ignore it.”
