The deadly cancer disease continues to inflict pain in Malawi. And the combined disaster of Tuberculosis and HIV AIDS means no escape for an average population.

However Health experts have pointed out that global fund against cancer established years back is helping in the setting up of structures against the disease.

As of now the work mean to establish a full fledged cancer hospital being championed by Malawi president Bingu wa Mutharika is taking shape.
A number corporate institutions are involved in the work. One of the prominent institutions participating in the setting up of cancer hospital is First Merchant Bank through its Chairman Mahesh Nadkat, who once funded the construction of College of Medicine in Malawi’s commercial city of Blantyre.

The consolidated and visible efforts in the country started showing up following a high profi9le meeting which took place in South Africa.
It occurred that many of the World´s leading cancer experts converged at Cape Town, under global initiative of partners to fight the disease which is still without cure.

Cancer is the second most common cause of death worldwide after
cardiovascular disease. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates 7.6 million people died of cancer yearly with up to 10 million deaths a year by 2015.
The majority of new cancer cases are now in low and middle income countries. Faced with the multiple health challenges posed by AIDS/HIV, malaria and tuberculosis (TB), many
poor countries simply do not have the resources to fight cancer.


In a great speech which is still taken as a hall mark of the fight IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said:
"Cancer is spreading very fast in the developing world and the IAEA has
come to realize that we need to do much more to combat cancer in this
part of the world.
"I hope this event will be the first ofmany events that would enable us to work together – national governments, international organisations, civil society - to help combat
this dreadful disease and provide quality of life to our fellow human
beings."

The pact goals were backed by African Nobel Laureates Nelson Mandela,
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and F.W. de Klerk, and the Cape Town meetings
will bring together senior representatives from major national and
international cancer organisations.
Together with leading public figures and specialists they will assess the growing cancer burden in Africa and focus on building effective cancer control programmes at the national
and regional levels.

The IAEA is sponsoring the intensive workshops using funds awarded for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize according to Reuters.