Dubai: Medical experts, cancer specialists, your services are needed for the annual pan-UAE breast cancer awareness campaign, the Pink Caravan Ride beginning next month.

The Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP), the organisers of this initiative, is gearing up for the eighth edition of the ride around the country to spread its message of the importance of early detection, regular checkups and timely treatment to communities staring February 28.

Dr Sawsan Al Madhi, director-general of FoCP, and head of the Pink Caravan Ride Medical and Awareness Committee, said the annual Pink Caravan Ride has helped detect 47 cases of breast cancer that would have may have gone unnoticed otherwise and it is a result of the collective effort of all volunteers, including those from the medical field.

“It is the dedicated efforts of our team of medical volunteers who have made this possible,” Dr Al Madhi said. “The significance of the general medicine, family medicine and radiology, plus X-Ray technicians and nurses role in the success of a medical awareness campaign cannot be overstated — they constitute its very backbone.”

“We look forward to garnering maximum support from doctors and medical personnel this year to build on the success of our previous campaigns. Ultimately, the campaign’s outreach and how many lives we are able to touch and benefit depends greatly on the kind of support we receive from the nation’s healthcare system.”

Dr Al Madhi urged medical professionals to take this opportunity “to be of service to community, educate them, and take the UAE’s objective of creating a healthy, safe and aware nation another step further in the Year of Zayed”.

Every year, the Pink Caravan Ride, through its mobile and fixed clinics, provides citizens and residents with free screenings, which can be worth up to Dh1,000 in hospitals and clinics.

It also provides detected breast cancer cases with moral support and medical treatments free of charge.

Since 2011, the Pink Caravan Ride has offered free screenings, checkups and medical consultations to approximately 49,000 people including 16,781 UAE nationals.

Of these, 7,483 were screened in last year’s edition and 12 cases of malignancy were detected, making it the highest in Pink Caravan Ride’s history. These numbers were made possible by the medical volunteers from all nationalities that participated, some of whom were operating out of the fixed clinics which were installed in every emirate and offered checkups throughout the duration of the campaign.

The incidence of breast cancer in the UAE is high, and Pink Caravan is doing a significant job of spreading breast cancer awareness, especially the importance of regular screenings and checkups for early detection of the disease.

Medical professionals and health-care providers who wish to help may registerat http://www.pinkcaravan.ae/dr-registration.php from January 17 to February 11. Registration is open to those covering general medicine, family medicine and radiology, plus X-Ray technicians and nurses.