300,000 Russians Die from Cancer Every Year

Head of an anti-cancer non-profit organisation said that cancer kills around 300,000 Russians every year - 10 times more than in traffic accidents across the country. "Almost two percent of the population are oncology patients," said Dmitry Borisov, who heads the Equal Rights to Life NGO.

"Unfortunately, cancer is still not the priority for our state leaders," he said at the opening ceremony of the Movement Against Cancer forum.

Borisov estimated that in developed countries, the budget allocates around 200 euro per cancer patient, while in Russia this sum is as low as 19 euro per person.

"With such funding, one can't say that oncological patients receive enough drugs and treatment from the state," he said.

Moscow's chief oncologist Anatoly Makhson said Monday that some 221,000 city residents are cancer patients, including 172,000 who have recovered.

Some 34,500 can undergo medical treatment, while 15,000 cannot be cured, he said.

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Source-IANS