…pledges 200k vaccines for adolescent girls
Seithati Motseoneng
THE Principal Chief of Phamong, Nthati Bereng, has pledged to secure at least 200 000 cervical cancer vaccines for girls aged 9 to 14 in the next six months.
Chieftainess Bereng – a senator – said her organization, Principal Chief Nthati Bereng Foundation, intends to contribute towards the government’s realization of the 70 to 90 percent vaccination target by 2030 set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
This she revealed at the official launch of her foundation at Thaba Bosiu on Sunday.
The event coincided with the World Cancer Day celebration.
Chieftainess Bereng said it was imperative to prevent cancer because it was a chronic illness which was not only costly to manage but also painful for one to treat.
She also revealed that she was a cancer patient and had spent over M30 000 on tests alone, before she could start her chemo treatment.
“During my own cancer journey, I have learnt that some people die not because they have lost the battle to cancer, but because of poverty and lack of financial support to manage and treat the condition,” Chieftainess Bereng said.
She said she was aware of cancer patients who had succumbed to the disease because they were unable to afford transport from their respective homes to Queen II Hospital for onward transportation to South Africa, where Lesotho’s cancer patients are referred to.
“Some people had missed their transport to Bloemfontein as a result of lack of funds while some couldn’t even afford a loaf of bread to eat along the way. I was touched by the suffering that people go through in their cancer treatment journey,” she said.
She appealed to the public to welcome them with open hands when they visit villages to vaccinate young girls as that would only help in suppressing cancer numbers in the country.
On her part, ‘Maesiah Thabane, a trustee of the foundation, said the government’s weakness was prioritizing “popular” illnesses over others which had been killing people for decades.
“During the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the government became too focused on it and neglected all other deadly diseases. They later shifted focus to cancer but that did not last long after the outbreak of Covid-19 which diverted their attention from cancer again, although it remained a fatal disease,” said Ms Thabane.
A nutritionist from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, ‘Makamohelo Semoli, urged Basotho to be wary of what they eat to avoid some types of cancer.
“If we can normalize filling our plate with vegetables, we can be able to beat cancer because I have learned that Basotho lately eat a lot of meat than vegetables which causes a lot of health complications for some,” she said
