Today the world community celebrates World Cancer Day.

This memorable date was proclaimed by the “Union for International Cancer Control” (UICC) in 2005.

Cancer is a generic term for over 100 diseases that can affect any part of the body.

As the director of the Scientific and Clinical Center of Oncology of Turkmenistan Mive Berdimuradova notes, in our time the causes of these diseases are well known, which makes it possible to prevent about one third of new cases. If they are detected in the early stages, successful treatment is possible, according to the newspaper “Neutral Turkmenistan”.

In Turkmenistan, the provision of assistance to the population with oncological diseases is of a regional-staged nature and consists of three levels:

• at the level of cities and etraps - health houses;
• at the velayat level - velayat oncological dispensaries;
• at the state level - Turkmenistan scientific-clinical center of oncology (SCC of Oncology).

As the leading institution in the country in its profile, the SCC of oncology provides organizational, methodological and practical assistance to institutions of the general medical and oncological network and carries out organizational and methodological management of specialized institutions. The Scientific and Clinical Center of Oncology has 19 departments.

The center is equipped with modern medical equipment, for which specialists have been trained in the best clinics in Europe, the Republic of Belarus, and the Russian Federation.

Great importance is attached to the introduction of new modern methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment into practice. In the health houses of cities and etraps, there are oncological and examination rooms, which closely interact with the departments of family doctors. The main tasks at this level are the prevention and diagnosis of malignant and benign tumors, as well as dispensary observation of patients and persons at risk.

If necessary and at the request of patients, they are treated with benign neoplasms. In addition, special importance is attached to carrying out sanitary and educational work on a healthy lifestyle, anti-cancer propaganda. 

The second, regional level, is oncological dispensaries located in the velayat centers. In the capital, this work is carried out by the SCC oncology. It provides prevention and treatment of patients with malignant and benign tumors, provides organizational, methodological and practical assistance not only to oncological and examination rooms, but also to other institutions of the general medical network on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this category of patients.

Experienced oncologists are assigned to each city and etrap. In the capital, every health home has oncology and examination rooms.

In addition, from the SCC of oncology each velayat, and in the Ahal velayat, experienced specialists are assigned to each city and etrap, who on certain days are in supervised institutions full time.

In the Balkan, Dashoguz, Lebap and Mary velayats, a team of 3-5 people is working for a week. Experts provide organizational, methodological and practical assistance, as well as conduct seminars, demonstration operations, diagnostic procedures in order to introduce new, modern methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

On the basis of the SCC of Oncology, specialists are being trained both for oncological dispensaries and for the general medical network. Here, interns and clinical residents are also trained, future nurses, obstetricians and paramedics of the Indira Gandhi Metropolitan Medical School get practical skills.

The center is the base for the specialized departments of the State Medical University of Turkmenistan named after Myrat Garryev.

In recent years, the SCC of Oncology, together with public organizations of the country, has been spending months on the most common oncological diseases. The main focus here is on anti-cancer propaganda and preventive examination of citizens. Non-cancer patients identified during this period are sent to the institutions of the general medical network, and patients with cancer and precancerous diseases - to the institutions of the oncological service.

These patients are registered, and their clinical examination is carried out.

The SCC of oncology conducts a large research work, the results of which are published in foreign and national medical journals. The training of scientific personnel is carried out, there is a postgraduate and doctoral studies.

Specialists of oncological dispensaries are also involved in the conduct of research work, mentoring is widely used. The Center regularly organizes seminars, international and national scientific and scientific-practical conferences on topical issues of oncology, maintains a constructive partnership with WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, leading medical institutions of Europe, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, USA.

At present, the construction of the Dashoguz velayat oncological dispensary for 150 beds is underway, in the near future, the construction of the Ahal velayat oncological dispensary, also designed for 150 beds. It is also planned to build new buildings of dispensaries in the Lebap and Mary velayat.

It is important that much attention is paid to equipping new clinics with modern medical technology, equipment and apparatus, as well as training specialists, taking into account world-class experience.