RAWALPINDI: First Lady Begum Samina Alvi on Monday said that a five-minute self-examination every month could help detect breast cancer at an early stage, thus saving thousands of the precious lives of women in the country.
She said that 44,000 deaths due to breast cancer in the country was an alarming situation that needed raising constant awareness about early diagnosis of the disease.
Speaking at an awareness seminar on breast cancer held at Behbud Association of Pakistan, Rawalpindi, the First Lady stressed the need to sensitize the general public about shunning the taboo about the illness.
Samina Alvi said that the world had a 98% recovery rate from breast cancer; however, in Pakistan, insufficient mammographic facilities lead to a high mortality rate due to the detection of malignancy at a late stage. She said that women of all ages, including teenage girls of 12-14 years, were also being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Samina Alvi urged the women and girls to learn the 5-minute routine of self-examination and spread the word among at least twenty other women folks in their circle. For the Behbud Mother and Child Hospital, Samina Alvi announced a donation of Rs500,000 on behalf of her family.
She also emphasized the need to focus on the inclusiveness of persons with disabilities (PWDs), and mental health and ensuring a harassment-free environment for women. She called for accommodating the differently-abled persons with facilities of education and employment and mainstreaming them in society.
On the occasion, Lt Gen (retd) Nigar Johar, the country’s first three-star female general in the Pakistan Army who belonged to the Army Medical Corps, said one in 8 women died of breast cancer in the world, which was a scary figure. She said the health services in Pakistan were focused on reducing breast cancer mortality by 25% as per the global health goal of the World Health Organization (WHO).
She said that at the government level, there was an improvement in diagnostic modalities, including mammography, radiography, and gene mutation testing. However, she emphasized the involvement of Lady Health Workers in the effective dissemination of the message among women residing in every nook and corner of the country.
Abida Malik, President of the Behbud Association of Pakistan, said that the non-profit organization had been supporting the generations of the country for more than five decades through projects of economic empowerment through skill development, health, and education.
She said the association was already providing outdoor medical services while a one-hundred-bed hospital for the underprivileged was in the making.
A panel discussion of doctors, psychologists, and a survivor of breast cancer underlined the importance of early diagnosis and dealing with the challenges of mental trauma faced by the patients and their families.
Breast Cancer Awareness Seminar in Peshawar
Moreover, in a seminar held in Peshawar, health experts said that lack of awareness regarding signs and symptoms of breast cancer and delayed diagnosis are among the main reasons behind the spread of breast cancer.
They were addressing an awareness seminar organized to sensitize the communities, particularly females, about breast cancer and the need to develop new, targeted treatments that would improve survival rates among patients.
Incharge RHC Putwar Bala, Dr Mir Karim Shah, Children Specialist Dr Taj Bahadar Khan, and Gynaecologist Dr Hina briefed the participants regarding the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and the ways to prevent the illness, including monthly self-breast examination and how to seek help.
Pamphlets regarding breast cancer were distributed among the participants.
