Research centre resumes breast cancer awareness drive

LAHORE : The Cancer Care Hospital & Research Centre Foundation (CCHRCF), Lahore, has announced running a breast cancer awareness campaign round the year to promote preventive approach to mitigate the high rate of incidence in Pakistan.

“The CCHRCF does not believe in limiting the breast cancer awareness to Pinktober –Pink Ribbon Campaign in the month of October every year – in Pakistan where the situation is no less an emergency with over 88,000 new women suffering from breast cancer and half of them losing the battle same year,” says a spokesman of CCHRCF in a statement here on Saturday. The Cancer Care Hospital & Research Centre Foundation has been established in Lahore with a mission to provide free cancer treatment to all deserving patients where nobody will be refused treatment irrespective of the age of the patient or stage of cancer.

In connection with breast cancer campaign, the spokesman said the hospital has been successfully running a mass mammography campaign for the last four years, by virtue of which CCHRC has provided free mammography services to over 36,233 women on their doorstep in over 178 locations of four provinces, GB and AJK.

He said CCHRCF has a state-of-the-art Italian machine installed at Hijaz Hospital Lahore and two mobile mammography vans equipped with machines and staffed with female medical imaging technicians (MITs). The campaign is being run by engaging with village elders, city notables, mosques, school and college students, chambers and other NPOs/NGOs.

However, he said, the mass mammography campaign was halted due to Covid-19. Since end of Sept 2020, he said, the hospital has resumed the campaign with 10 camps in four districts of Punjab during October benefiting 398 women over the age of 40. From now on till beginning of Jan 2021, he said CCHRC mammography vans are going to 19 locations in Punjab, KPK & Sindh. “The selfless service to humanity is a greatest tribute to the unsung heroes, who reach out to people to provide breast care services to the women at their doorsteps in all corners of the country,” he added.