Al Ain: Tawam Hospital is to run a month-long awareness campaign to promote the early detection and treatment of breast cancer, the most extensive drive ever seen in the region.
The campaign, which will be an annual event, will begin Friday and will continue for the entire month — the month dedicated around the world to breast cancer awareness, a hospital spokesman said Wednesday.
Low awareness
Most of the campaign's activities would take place in the remote parts of Abu Dhabi emirate, which suffers from extremely low awareness levels about the disease, the spokesman said. In the Oasis city, the campaign's activities would be held at Al Bawadi Mall, Al Wagan Hospital, Al Basra Park, Al Jahili Clinic, and Hili Fun City. Abu Dhabi activities would be organised at the Abu Dhabi Medical Congress Adnec and Al Khaladiya Mall.
The hospital, which is affiliated with Johns Hopkins Medicine, is known for being the first hospital in the Middle East to launch a mobile mammography van last year. The hospital spokesman said the campaign was supported by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) and women above the age of 40 would be targeted in an outreach in the Western districts of the emirate.
Organised under the slogan of "Early Detection is the Best Protection", the campaign will comprise daily and weekly activities to educate women, men, and families about the importance of early detection of breast cancer, and regular screenings.
Tawam Hospital chief executive officer Gregory Schaffer said the drive was based on public feedback. "Our message once again is that, as a responsible part of the UAE public health system, we will not allow breast cancer to remain a taboo in our communities," he said.
Schaffer said early detection of breast cancer was crucial for successful treatment, and people needed to understand this in order to become more proactive by taking regular screenings and self examinations seriously. Along with other community activities, October 29 would be dedicated for a full day of family fun at Hili Fun City in Al Ain.
Mortality rate
According to the UAE Cancer registry, breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UAE. It is the second leading cause of death in women, accounting for 28 per cent of all female deaths in the UAE. The disease has a notably high incidence and a mortality rate of 44 per cent due to late diagnosis.
"Our strategy here is to show people how easy it is to become aware and pro-active about your own health," said Dr Huda Al Shamsi, a member of the Breast Cancer Awareness Committee at Tawam Hospital.
