Manama: Kuwait's first mobile digital mammography unit will soon be operational and moving around the country's six governorates to help with the early discovery and prevention of breast cancer.
The arrival of the new unit was celebrated last week at the Kuwait Society for Preventing Smoking and Cancer (KSPSC).
"This is a great step towards improving the public's awareness of cancer," Dr Hilal Al Sayer, the health minister, said. "Such projects support the ministry's efforts to cure this disease and I stress the importance diagnosing cancer early, especially in cases of breast cancer, as it is one of the most common types of cancer in Kuwait and around the world," he said, quoted by Kuwait Times daily on Sunday.
According to the minister, the mobile digital mammography unit will save time and effort for those who would like to have a checkup.
"Early discovery is an easy and effective way to increase the likelihood of curing cancer in its first phases. This will also increase a patient's possibility of getting well and decreasing the load on medical centres as patients will not have to go through long and expensive medical treatment procedures," he said.
The Kuwait Institution for the Advancement of Science (KIAC) said that it supported the project.
"I would like to thank KIAC for their support and I hope that other institutes and societies will do the same," Dr Fayza Al Kharafi, the Chairperson of the Cancer Aware Nation (CAN) Campaign, said.
"KIAC is well known for their support of development projects that serve society. Launching this preventative checkup campaign is an excellent addition to the CAN Campaign's achievements in the past few years," she said.
Dr Abdul Rahman Al Awadhi, Chairman of KSPSC said that special programmes for the unit would be scheduled to meet the needs of individuals in areas throughout Kuwait.
"This project is just the beginning and we are looking for more products to serve the whole society," he said.
