Deyalsingh: National Cancer Registry to be updated

HEALTH Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said the National Cancer Registry is to be updated and registers for diabeters, heart disease and stroke will be developed.

He was responding to a question in Senate last week from Opposition Senator Wade Mark on measures to improve the National Cancer Registry which is essential to data gathering and policy making.

He replied the registry, prior to September 2015, had a time lag of seven years of data primarily due to an absence of a registrar to validate the data. He reported that after September 2015 under this Government he has implemented several initiatives to improve the registry including: employment of a registrar to access and validate data; started training with international partners including the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the National Cancer Institute of US and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries; restarted data collection in Tobago; and validation and confirmation of data from 2008 to 2014.

He reported key measures to improve the registry included: upgrade of software equipment; provision of adequate staffing; formalised the registry as the national entity with the authority to manage and coordinate cancer data for the country; and standardise data collection and report tools. He said the measures should be implemented through the Health Services Support Programme.

He reported the register will be upgraded by the end of fiscal 2019 and thereafter the development of other national health registries including, but not limited to, diabetes, stroke and heart diseases in fiscal 2020.

Mark asked if the minister was aware of a statement attributed to the chairman of the TT Cancer Society, Dr George Laquis, that the National Cancer Registry is defunct.

Deyalsingh replied: “I just said what we are doing. Because it was defunct prior to September 2015. Senator Mark is correct. Dr Laquis said that because under your tenure you did absolutely nothing. And I have outlined everything that we are doing.”