Awareness campaign on breast cancer launched

Islamabad :To mark October as PINKtober, the breast cancer awareness month, Pink Ribbon has launched a nationwide breast cancer awareness drive besides initiating fundraising for building Pakistan’s first dedicated Breast Cancer hospital.

The campaign which includes reaching out to over 200,000 young girls for breast cancer awareness only during October is launched in coordination with Higher Education Commission.

Around 10.2 million women are at high risk of getting breast cancer in Pakistan. October is celebrated as the international month of breast cancer awareness worldwide.

This year too Pakistan’s national awareness campaign, Pink Ribbon is raising public awareness about the disease, highlighting the role of research into the causes of breast cancer and promoting the significance of early detection of breast cancer in terms of better treatment and survival.

Experts say that the increase in the cases of breast cancer is mainly because most patients delay getting help. They consider it against society’s norms to inform others about the disease, or delay seeking help due to psychological barriers. Most of such cases, experts believe, can prove fatal.

According to Pink Ribbon, having breast cancer in Pakistan, no matter what stage or severity it is of, carries with it a stigma. Furthermore, due to lack of awareness many women deny their condition and refuse to go for any kind of breast examination.

On this occasion, Chief Executive Officer Pink Ribbon Omer Aftab, said breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cancerous cause of death. “Thus there is a need that we pay special focus to prevent this disease,” he said. He highlighted the fact that due to Pink Ribbon’s intensive awareness work over the years, awareness about the disease has raised significantly and a demand for breast cancer services has emerged. He added that to cater the needs, Pink Ribbon has started the construction of Pakistan’s first dedicated Breast Cancer Hospital and we need ever more support to build this hospital to ensure that none of us will have to bear the horror of losing a mother, a sister, a wife or a daughter. In October, Pink Ribbon is not only going to spread awareness among young female students, but also organizing various events to sensitise women and girls at the community level through direct interaction.

Furthermore, PINKtober 2017 will be running different activations throughout October to increase maximum awareness, and survivorship care, and fundraising for the construction of the Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Hospital.