City Reporter
Begum Samina Alvi, wife of President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday welcomed the notice taken by the Supreme Court on rising cases of breast cancer in the country, saying the joint efforts against the disease would lead to saving lives of thousands of women in the country.
Speaking at a breast cancer awareness seminar at the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (RCCI), she commended the order passed by the Supreme Court on the provision of mammography facilities at all public hospitals.
A day earlier, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed during the hearing of a case had taken notice of the increasing number of breast cancer patients and ordered the availability of breast cancer screening facilities with female medical staff at the hospitals under the federal and provincial governments.
Begum Alvi, who is leading the nationwide breast cancer awareness campaign, said the survival rate of breast cancer patients across the globe was about 95-98 percent compared with 45 percent in Pakistan due to late diagnosis.
She proposed installation of a mammogram machine at every teaching hospital so as to train the medical graduates about breast cancer screening.
Begum Alvi urged the women to practice self-detection and consult the doctor immediately on noticing any abnormality in their bodies.
She said a healthy lifestyle, balanced diet, and physical exercise could improve the health of women and could also contribute to minimizing the chances of a fatal disease.
President RCCI Chaudry Nadeem Rauf said acknowledging the important role of women in society, the RCCI had taken several key initiatives to ensure their empowerment, including setting up business incubation centres.
He said to address the challenges pertaining to the wellbeing of women, the RCCI would continue to extend them support on the health issues such as breast cancer.
