Dubai: As many as 744 people were screened for free on the first day of the Pink Caravan Ride through its fixed and mobile clinics on Wednesday.
The eighth edition of the pan-UAE breast cancer awareness campaign kicked off in Sharjah on Wednesday, represented by hundreds of horse riders, volunteers, medical practitioners and for the first time, a Mobile Medical Clinic equipped with specialised mammography facilities.
Covering one emirate every day until March 6, the seven-day trek for improving people’s awareness about this common disease, which affects one in every eight women around the world, continued its route to Fujairah on the second day on Thursday.
among 744 people who came forward for screening on first day
The Pink Caravan Medical Awareness Committee shared the first day’s tally of screening as 744, which included 658 women and 86 men.
These included 232 locals and 512 expatriates, comprising 280 people in the 40+ age category and 464 individuals below 40 years. After the initial screening, 505 walk-in people were given the safe card, 206 were referred for a mammogram, and 33 were advised to undergo an ultrasound scanning.
The numbers indicate that 178 more people came forward for screening this year as compared to last year, organisers said.
While people watched the equestrians trek across Sharjah, four clinics across the emirate were offering free screening through the day, from 10am to 6pm.
The fixed medical clinic at Al Majaz Waterfront, which will be operational even after the ride concludes, was busy taking in people, and a host of awareness activations like a 7km Pink Strides walkathon, the Pink Caravan Roadshow and a line-up of children’s activities were organised in tandem to really be able to reach out to the maximum number of people across age groups.
This approach was lauded by Thabet Salem Al Turaifi, director-general of Sharjah Municipality, who said: “In a small gesture to enhance community participation, we have branded several parking meters in the emirate with the Pink Caravan’s advertisement for donation requests. Since this is a charity initiative, people’s active involvement and generous donations, which will enable the Pink Caravan to continue offering the free screening to people, are crucial to the campaign’s success,” he said.
Day 3, Dubai
On Friday, the riders of pink hope will proceed to the emirate of Dubai where they will travel 6km on horseback, starting in Jumeirah and ending at Etihad Museum. The day will see two special events — the Pink Regatta at The Palm and a Junior Fun Day at the Al Qudra Lakes that will include a junior horse ride, bike rides, and a lot more.
