Cape Town - The Western Cape Health Department shockingly reveals that 15% of men decline attending clinics for their health and these sicknesses include male cancers such as the prostate or testicular cancer.
On November 19, 2024, International Men’s Day was observed with the theme this year being ‘Men’s Health Champions’.
They explained that during the 2023/2024 financial year 1 101 765 men attended City clinics, compared to 1 294 229 the previous year.
Men aged 40 and above are typically encouraged to have regular screening for hypertension and diabetes, but trends show that younger men (18 – 40) are being diagnosed, due, in part, to lifestyle factors they further detailed.
They are now encouraging young men not to ignore lumps just because they are pain-free, and to have them checked out at their nearest healthcare facility as they shift their focus on testicular cancer.
Patricia van der Ross, Mayco member for Community Services and Health, said mental health statistics show the incidence of common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety is on the increase, including suicide amongst adolescents and men.
“We need to shift perceptions around seeking professional help for mental health matters, but also taking responsibility for our own health through positive lifestyle changes, like eating healthy foods, exercising and avoiding substances like alcohol and drugs. The main areas of concern were prostate disease, including cancer and benign disease.
“Prostate symptoms include difficulty in starting or stopping your urinary stream, a weak urinary stream throughout, and increased frequency in passing urine, especially at night,” the city’s health department explained.
They added men were encouraged to know their HIV status and if they had Tuberculosis, by taking note of a recurring cough and other symptoms including non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus and asthma which can be controlled with medication and a lifestyle choice.
Garron Gsell, CEO of the Men’s Foundation SA said their focus was also cancer in men.
The Men’s Foundation SA recently launched its annual Brovember campaign, which began on November 1 2024.
This year, the organisation invited men to grow a moustache, get active, or make a donation to support awareness campaigns that aim to provide life-saving prostate and testicular cancer screening, support and treatments to South African men in need.
“Each delay in cancer treatment is not just a pause in care but an infringement on an individual’s humanity.
“It’s a theft of time that should be spent living, rather than waiting in desperation.”
With the launch of Brovember, the Men’s Foundation aims to challenge the societal stigma around toxic masculinity, and how it affects men’s health and encourages a more proactive approach to self-care among men in the country.
“In South Africa, access to cancer treatment remains a monumental challenge. Many treatment facilities lack adequate resources, with waiting lists that serve as a grim reminder of the unmet needs in our healthcare system,” the organisation said.
To find out more visit: https://brovember.co.za/how-to-support-brovember/