LAHORE :The University of Health Sciences (UHS) and Hull University, UK have agreed to launch a breast cancer awareness campaign and training programme in Pakistan annually.
According to a press release issued on Monday, a formal agreement in this regard will be signed this week by Hull University’s consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon, Dr Penelope McManus and UHS Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) Director Dr Arif Rashid Khawaja. In this regard, Dr Penelope said: “Women in the developing countries, like Pakistan, tend to die at greater rates than in more developed countries because the disease is generally detected when it is in its advance stages,” she said.
She said keeping in view poor outcome associated with late diagnosis of the disease, we want to help women by increasing awareness regarding early detection of breast cancer. “We need to educate women about self-examination and the need to see a doctors if they feel a breast lump,” she said. UHS Director, CILT, Dr Arif Rashid Khawaja said one out of 9 women in Pakistan is at risk of contracting the disease in her lifetime. He added around 90,000 cases are reported every year in the country out of which 40,000 women die of this disease.
Arif emphasised that it is the right of every woman to know about fatal diseases and society should support their cause rather than considering the issue a social taboo. Breast cancer is no longer a death sentence, and to get this message across, there must be efforts to dispel fears and infuse optimism into the lives of hundreds of women, their families and the community at large, he emphasised. While sharing the challenges in combating breast cancer, he said Pakistan has to overcome countless barriers such as illiteracy, misconception, social stigma and lack of health facilities. He pointed out some ethical issues in the detection and treatment of the disease. During her stay in Pakistan, Dr Penelope will visit UHS affiliated institutes. On Monday, she visited Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College, Sialkot, and held a seminar on breast cancer awareness. She will inaugurate the first Breast Cancer Clinic at DHQ Hospital Gujranwala today (on Tuesday) and will also lead an awareness walk there. Dr Penelope will address at a workshop on Breast Reconstruction being arranged by the Pakistan Society of Surgeons, Lahore Chapter, at Jinnah Hospital, on Thursday.
