Burkina Faso to offer free cancer screening

Cancer screening will be free in Burkina Faso over the next 5 years.

This was announced by Burkinabe Prime Minister Paul Kaba Thiéba, on Friday while addressing parliament.

It is estimated that 10,000 new cases of cancer are reported in Burkina Faso every year.

In addition to free cancer screening, the prime minister also said public health facilities should provide free emergency care, including first diagnostic tests to children up to 5 years who are at risk of being infected with malaria.

Additionally, he stressed the importance of hospitals to provide quality antenatal care and also promote the use of modern family planning methods.

In order to strengthen the health sector in the country, the Prime minister made a further commitment to provide 300 ambulances to health facilities across the country over a period of 5 years and said the first 60 will be made available this year.