THE pledge by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to make cancer treatment available to everyone is heartening news.

While money is needed to manage cancer, equal importance has to be given to prevention, early detection, treatment and palliative care.

The risk of getting cancer can be reduced by healthy lifestyles, not smoking, a well-balanced diet, exercise and avoidance of obesity.

Proper treatment is also essential to help improve the survival rate from one-third of cancer patients to two-thirds, as in the case in developed countries where seven out of 10 patients are at stage one or two at diagnosis.

More survivors would help reduce negative perceptions about cancer outcomes. Even those who do not respond can be helped through palliative care.

Non-governmental organisations that are providing this service should be supported by the Government with annual grants if this service is to continue or expand.

Thus, all the stakeholders - the public, health professionals and Government - have to do their share in this fight against cancer.

We live in a world of greater life expectancy where chronic diseases such as cancers, diabetes and chronic bronchitis will be common.

In the United Kingdom, one-third of the population fall into this category.

The good news is that many of these conditions have common determinants - unhealthy lifestyles.

So if we can grasp this nettle, the reward, in term of personal, social and economic opportunity savings, will be immense.

The money needed is not beyond the resources of this country. The per capita public expenditure on health care in Malaysia is only US$80 (RM304). In the UK, it is US$2,160.

The pledge by the Prime Minister underlies the belief, shared by increasing numbers of Malaysians that no one should be denied health care because of a lack of means.

Hence, a National Health Financing Scheme that will ensure universal coverage with equity is long overdue.

For starters, the Government can impose the ban on small cigarette packs from 2006 instead of postponing it to 2010.

The World Health Organisation in a 2004 report stated that five million die each year from tobacco-related diseases, and this is set to increase to 10 million a year by 2020.

Seventy per cent of these deaths will be in developing countries.

This ban is consistent with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control signed in August by the Prime Minister in New York.

Another good move would be to retract permission for the tobacco industry to hold Expo Tembakau 05 in November in Kuala Lumpur.

I am told that other Asean countries refused to allow this exhibition. Further, the Ministry of Health has been overruled on this matter.

The right hand and the left hand must work together or signing documents serves no purpose.

To the Prime Minister, kudos for taking on the legacy of Datin Seri Endon Mahmood ,who fought cancer with much courage and openness.