NGOs urged to provide more moral support

More health-related non-governmental organisations (NGO) have been called to provide help and moral support to spouses of cancer patients.

Director-General of Health Datuk Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said this was because the news about living with cancer would not only shake the spirit of the patients, but also their spouses and family members.

"Maybe the NGO can organise certain activities, such as having a support group to enable cured cancer patients and their spouses to share their experiences and become a role model to others."

He said this to reporters after attending the 'One Day With Positive Image' programme, organised by Yayasan Budi Penyayang (Penyayang) at Putrajaya Hospital today.

Also present were Penyayang chairman Nori Abdullah and Putrajaya Hospital director Dr Nora'i Mohd Said.

Dr Noor Hisham said as the ministry was focusing its efforts to provide the best treatment for cancer patients in the country, the responsibility to provide help and the moral support for their spouses should be shouldered by the NGOs because most of them had the tendency to think that cancer could not be cured.