Universities working on breast cancer awareness and screening

Rawalpindi : Representatives of seven universities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi including medical and general are going to meet on Saturday here at Rawalpindi Medical University to formulate for the first time a comprehensive training model for awareness and screening of breast cancer at universities’ level.

According to Vice Chancellor at RMU Professor Muhammad Umar, after finalization, the model would be implemented in universities, affiliated teaching institutions and in community. The universities include Rawalpindi Medical University, Shifa Tamir-e-Millat University Islamabad, Riphah University Islamabad, Isra University Islamabad, Comsats University Islamabad, Fatima Jinnah Women University Rawalpindi, Government College Women University, Quaid–i-Azam University and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto University.

He added the chancellors, vice chancellors, pro vice chancellors and experts of these universities are holding a consultative meeting in Rawalpindi Medical University. This is the highest academic and research forum of apex universities to hold consultative meeting to evolve a uniform and standardized model of breast cancer screening for university faculty, students and general population in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, he said.

The objectives of the forum is to setup a focal group which will evolve a curriculum, central registry for northern region and a network for the above program and its linkage to the tertiary care hospitals of the Rawalpindi and Islamabad for further investigations and treatment of suffering patients where and when required. A road map for implementation of the program will also be designed as well as implementation and monitoring strategies.

The meeting will be chaired by Professor Muhammad Ali, Vice Chancellor Quaid-i-Azam University and chair of the VC committee of Pakistan. Later on this model will be shared with HEC, provincial government and federal government, said Dr. Umar.

This is pertinent to mention here that all over the world, the universities play pivotal critical role in community medical challenges, entrepreneurship and a social change.