Pink Caravan Medical Mobile Clinic brings free cancer screenings to Sharjah suburbs

SHARJAH: The UAE’s and the region’s first and only custom-built breast and cervical cancer screening facility on wheels, the Pink Caravan Medical Mobile Clinic, has been travelling across Sharjah suburbs since the beginning of the year, offering free screenings and expert advice to continue with its mission of raising community awareness of the fact that early detection saves lives.

Throughout August and September, the mobile clinic will continue to cover more regions in Sharjah, in collaboration with Districts & Villages Affairs Department. Women have been urged by the initiative’s driver, Friends Of Cancer Patients (FOCP), to make the most of this opportunity and get themselves checked and screened in the comfort of their neighbourhoods.

Where and when

The Pink Caravan Medical Mobile Clinic will offer free mammogram screenings using a HOLOGIC Tomosynthesis 3 Dimensions Mammography System to asymptomatic women aged 40 and above.

On August 17 – 18, residents of Suhaila Suburb in Kalba city approached the medical mobile clinic located at Suhaila Suburb Council. The clinic’s next stop is at Al Bustan Suburb Council in Al Dhaid city on August 24-25, where the free consultations will be available from 10am to 3pm.

The final destination in this pan-Sharjah journey will be at the Sharjah Ladies Club in Kalba on September 15 between 10am to 3pm.

The state-of-the-art Mobile Medical Clinic was launched in 2018 by FOCP’s Pink Caravan breast cancer awareness initiative in order to propel the campaign’s pan-UAE efforts in community sensitisation and making free screenings and checkups accessible to all individuals irrespective of their nationality, background or incomes, throughout the year - not only during the annual Pink Caravan Ride.

The custom-built clinic – the only one of its kind in the region – enjoys the generous patronage of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority (SBA). The independent medical facility licensed by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has the capacity to screen 40 individuals a day.

Sheikh Majid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of Districts & Villages Affairs Department, stated that the department continuously carries out its efforts through active partnerships with various community organizations, especially the Pink Caravan, a leading humanitarian initiative that promotes community health and well-being.

He added: “”We are honoured to be a part of the Pink Caravan’s initiatives in multiple suburbs of the emirate of Sharjah, which aim to spread awareness on the importance of conducting early examinations to detect breast cancer and enhance opportunities for treatment and recovery by providing the latest technologies in mammography at the mobile medical clinics located in various district councils.”

Prevention and early detection

He urged women to frequent the Pink Caravan’s mobile clinics which are located at various district councils to avail their services in line with efforts for prevention and early detection of breast cancer.

“The UAE is firmly rooted in philanthropic values, evident in the strong support we receive from sponsors and partners. We have been able to continue offering the medical mobile clinic’s state-of-the-art screening services, thanks to the generous patronage and support of several caring and committed sponsors and partners who consider themselves active stakeholders in shaping a UAE empowered with the knowledge and health care services to build a nation better equipped against cancer. Truth is, cancer doesn’t stop, and we shouldn’t either. Being a non-profit, our future success depends on more organisations and individuals coming forward to support our mobile clinic as well as other FOCP initiatives”, said Sawsan Jaafar, Chairperson Board of Directors of Friends of Cancer Patients.

“Since the beginning of the year, the Pink Caravan Medical Mobile Clinic has covered key locations in Al Rahmaniyah, Al Sieyouh, Wasit, Muowaileh, Kaldeyah, Khor Fakkan, Dhibba Al Hisn, Sharjah International Airport and Al Majaz Waterfront. I strongly encourage women across Sharjah and the UAE to take this vital step towards securing their health and their future by getting checked at our medical mobile clinic. It is crucial to know that while breast and cervical cancers have higher affliction rates, fact remains that if detected early, breast cancer patients have a 98 per cent chance of survival. Cervical cancer, on the other hand, is even preventable,” she added.