FOCP’s Pink Caravan holds breast cancer screening for residents at Sharjah Sustainable City
Free medical screenings, vouchers for mammograms organised as part of annual event
Sharjah: Several residents of Sharjah Sustainable City availed of free medical screenings as part of the annual breast cancer awareness programme conducted by Friends of Cancer Patients’ (FOCP) Pink Caravan.
In addition, vouchers for mammograms were distributed to women residents aged 40 and older, the organisers said in a press release.
The first sustainable master-planned residential community developed by Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) in partnership with Diamond Developers, Sharjah Sustainable City partnered with FOCP to promote the importance of early detection while equipping the community with essential information and resources to enhance their understanding of breast cancer.
Sustainable living
Yousif Ahmed Al-Mutawa, CEO of Sharjah Sustainable City, said: “Health and wellness are rooted in almost every programme or initiative we have within the city, as they form one of the main pillars of sustainable living. We are pleased to collaborate with FOCP to contribute to these efforts and once again host the Pink Caravan—this time for a much larger community, as we have recently welcomed more residents with the handover of three out of four phases of the city.”
“I would like to thank FOCP for their continuous support on our journey toward a happy, healthy, and fully sustainable city by offering free screenings for our residents and sharing vital knowledge about the importance of early detection, while also addressing a number of concerns,” he added.
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Early detection is key
Aisha Al Mulla, Director of FOCP said: “This October, we are pleased to collaborate with Sharjah Sustainable City to host our Pink Caravan Mobile Clinic, offering free screenings while continuing our mission to raise awareness about early detection and motivate a movement for change. Breast cancer affects countless lives, in both women and men, and early detection is our most potent tool in this regard, with survival rates soaring beyond 90 per cent when caught in its earliest stages. By also having conversations and breaking the barriers of silence and stigma surrounding this disease, we can empower society with knowledge, bringing us closer to a future where we can prevent and defeat cancer effectively.”
Most common cancer
According to WHO, breast cancer was the most common cancer in women in 157 countries out of 185 in 2022 and occurs in every country in the world. Moreover, approximately 99 per cent of breast cancers occur in women and 0.5–1 per cent of breast cancers occur in men.
However early diagnosis increases the chances of recovery in 95 per cent of cases. Initiatives like Pink Caravan by FOCP, which place a strong emphasis on early detection, provide hope and a valuable opportunity for convenient screenings.