Figures by the Ministry of Public Health show that almost 40,000 people have been diagnosed with different types of cancer diseases, citing lack of awareness for an increase in the number of patients countrywide.
 
The figures show that more than 3,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, of which, 1,700 patients have died due to the disease.
 
Another reason for an increase in the number of cancer patients is lack of adequate access to healthcare services and the absence of a proper cancer treatment center, assessments of the Ministry of Public Health indicated.
 
The only cancer treatment center in the Jumhoriat Hospital in Kabul has 65 beds which according to officials cannot meet the increasing number of cancer patients.
 
The center was established four years ago.
 
In this episode of Mehwar, host Sadaf Amiri discusses the topic with Maihan Abdullah, head of the National Cancer Control Program.