Partnership creates cancer support system

requires partners like government, private sector and other likeminded NGOs to support our initiative with SAPS,” Maluleke said.

Hillbrow police head of Crime Prevention Colonel DP Marite welcomed the guests on behalf of all beneficiary police stations.

“This donation came at a time when our women and children really require these essentials. As you are aware, police are underresourced in many respects. We thank the NGOs for choosing us as one of their beneficiaries, and we look forward to partnership that will make a difference in our communities, especially to the victims of domestic violence and GBV,” Marite said.

Deputy chairperson of the Hillbrow Community Policing Forum, Simon Modiba said their role is not only aimed at ensuring police accountability, transparency and effectiveness in the community.

“We also bring the police and community together, assisting in bridging the gap between the public and the police in order to solve challenges of crime. We therefore welcome and support initiatives like Rekaofela against GBV,” Modiba said.

Johannesburg - The Living with Cancer NPO and Microsoft SA have partnered to build the capabilities of South Africa’s first patient-led cancer registry using the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.

The registry, established in 2017, helps people living with different types and stages of cancer to capture and track their journey by updating information such as diagnosis, stage and status.

It is also a central hub of resources and information, a community support system where people living with cancer can connect.

Powered by Azure, people can safely import and upload their pathology reports and other documentation to the site so they can be verified by the National Cancer Registry (NCR); which reports on numbers of patients diagnosed with cancer in laboratories and hospitals around the country.

Azure’s privacy controls ensure that this data is protected, while ensuring the sharing of information needed by decision-makers to make the right decisions around medication and treatment requirements.

Living with Cancer founder Belinda Wagner says: “By leveraging the right technology solution, we are able to support people living with different types of cancer, and also provide information about cancer that has the potential to transform the nature of care.”

The NPO seeks to get a million people living with cancer in South Africa registered in 2022, as part of the #CountMeIn campaign; which aims to drive all cancer patients to register. The information will serve as a source of insight about the budget, planning and resources required around oncology treatment, medication and protocols.

Wagner says it is vital for cancer patients to register, be counted and provide the information healthcare professionals and decision-makers can use to drive change.

“By registering and joining a community of people who understand what each person is going through, we can share resources that help them see that cancer is not necessarily a death sentence. We can then focus on future technological enhancements where we can impact the community in a greater manner by making information freely available,” she adds.

Microsoft SA CEO Lillian Barnard says decision-makers need statistics to see the extent of the cancer burden in the country, and the challenges people living with it face in order to plan and treat patients effectively.

Robbers killed in shootout with cops

Edenvale - Four men who robbed a clothing store at the Stoneridge mall were killed in a shootout with police last Thursday.

Gauteng acting provincial police commissioner Major-General Girly Mbele said six suspects went into the Studio 88 shop at the mall and robbed it of clothing and cellphones.

“As they left the mall, the suspects who were driving a Nissan Almera, opened fire at police officers and a shootout ensued, re- sulting in four suspects fatally wounded, one injured and the other arrested,” Mbele said.

Police recovered three unlicensed firearms at the scene and found the stolen goods in the boot of the vehicle, Mbele added.

ER24 paramedics arrived at the crime scene and found the men lying motionless inside a motor vehicle that was riddled with bullets, and four of them were declared dead, while the critically injured one was taken to hospital.