Samina calls to raise awareness about breast cancer

KARACHI: Samina Arif Alvi, First Lady of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, has urged the media, as well as national and international organisations operating in Pakistan, to make concerted efforts to raise awareness about the early identification of breast cancer among women, particularly those living in rural regions.

She stated that she had led the breast cancer awareness campaign for the past four years, during which time the number of women utilising diagnostic services has climbed dramatically.

Samina Alvi made these statements on Monday at Aiwan-e-Sadr while presiding over a gathering of national and international organisations working in Pakistan for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. 

UNFPA, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries, WHO, Shifa International Hospital, Shaukat Khanum Hospital, NGO Green Star, Human Resource Development Network (HRDN), Khyber Medical College & Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar, Dopasi Foundation, World Food Program, and Roche Pakistan representatives were present at the meeting.

Samina Alvi addressed the group and stated that October was marked internationally as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and that we all needed to work in concert to eradicate this fatal illness by engaging in awareness events throughout the year. She noted that Pakistan was one of the nations in the region with the highest breast cancer death rate due to late detection of the disease. 

She stated that communities should be involved in raising awareness about the early diagnosis of the disease, and those screening facilities should be expanded to the greatest extent possible. Samina Alvi asked the participants to devise a comprehensive plan to educate women about the condition over the full year.

The discussion revealed that hundreds of women die annually from breast cancer due to a lack of understanding of its signs and late detection. 

It was also emphasised that a breast cancer patient's prospects of survival were relatively good if identified in the early stages. Representatives of organisations and non-governmental organisations informed Samina Alvi of their initiatives toward the disease's awareness campaign and treatment.