Tbilisi TV tower illuminated in blue, orange for World Cancer Day

Tbilisi’s hilltop TV tower, like the landmarks of different cities across the world, was illuminated in blue and orange colours on Saturday for World Cancer Day.

The Tbilisi City Hall said the day aimed to raise public awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, and noted its Health and Social Services Department “made every effort” to reduce the impact of the disease on the citizens by implementing the various programmes.

The Health Department’s 2023 budget amounts to ₾27 million (about $10mln), including the programmes funding screening, early detection and prevention of cancer, bone marrow transplantation, treatment of breast cancer and other oncological diseases.

'Close the care gap' has been the slogan for World Cancer Day 2022-2024, focused on improving equal access to quality cancer care faced by populations of any income, age, gender, ethnicity, etc. The international day has been commemorated by the initiative of the Union for International Cancer Control every year on 4 February since 2000, uniting the entire world in the fight against the global cancer epidemic.