Zubair Qureshi
Spouse of the President, First Lady Samina Alvi on Monday noted the awareness campaign about breast cancer was yielding results and its severity was being realized and discussed by the masses.
Addressing a breast cancer awareness seminar organized by the Raabta, Serena Hotels the First Lady emphasized that women should be encouraged to come forward for early screening.
The womenfolk should not feel shy or hesitate in sharing as it was a curable disease, she said. “Through early detection we can save many precious lives,” she added.
Alvi further informed efforts were on to set up call centers to facilitate women often shy of discussing the health related issue with family members and friends.
The First Lady observed that 50 per cent of the country’s population comprised women, therefore, it was imperative to guide them on this disease that is common among women.
She urged the welfare and the non-governmental organizations to join hands in the breast cancer campaign by providing health incentives and facilities especially to the under-privileged women of the country. She also appreciated the media’s role in raising awareness about the fatal diseases.
We have requested the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to facilitate in sendiong awareness messages to masses, she further said.
Samina Alvi further said that in Pakistan, the prevalence of breast cancer was very alarming as the country was among the top in the region where women were affected with this disease.
“The emphasis is, women should not feel shy or get afraid to discuss the disease with their families and friends,” she said later while taking part in a panel discussion.
She observed that treatment of the disease was also expensive and efforts should be made to provide free of cost treatment to the poor women.
Head of the Radiology Department at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and spokesperson for Breast Cancer for the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Ayesha Isani said Pakistan has 34,000 new breast cancer patients every year, and the number is expected to double by 2040.
In Islamabad alone, she said one out of eight women screened has been found to have breast cancer.
She said early detection and early diagnosis was key with 98% recovery rates at the early detection stage, and 27% in the advanced stage of the disease.
Dr Abida Sultan of Agha Khan Hospital also spoke on the occasion and told the audience yearly mammograms for women over 40 and breast self-examinations as well as healthy lifestyle nutritious food and exercise could help bring down incidence of the disease.
Ambassador Aizaz Chaudhry, former Foreign Secretary also shared his story of how he was diagnosed with and cured from rare cancer.
