Women urged not to neglect their own well-being

First Lady Samina Arif Alvi on Wednesday said timely diagnosis of breast cancer could lead to 90 per cent cure.

“Women should not neglect their own well-being because healthy women contributed more productively towards society,” she said at an awareness programme at Federal Breast Cancer Screening Centre at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

According to a statement the first lady said it was important for women to be aware about diseases concerning with them in particular, mainly breast cancer.

Expressing concern over Pakistan ranking top among Asian countries with rising number of breast cancer patients, she said awareness among women was an effective way to prevent late stage diagnosis.

Instead of being labelled as a taboo, she said, breast cancer must be dealt as a serious disease with its basic information to be spread among both among men and women.

She urged upon medical practitioners, doctors and also lady health workers to spread the message to sensitise women about regular screening and mammography.

The First Lady expressed satisfaction over the Federal Breast Cancer Screening Centre at Pims for providing walk-in medical facility to women and stressed the need for setting up more such centres.

She also mentioned the in-progress data collection on breast cancer by armed forces' medical department to be shared with civilian hospitals besides a request to Aga Khan Hospital for introducing mammograms on low rates.

Pims Oncology Department Head Dr Qasim said, established in 2015, the centre was providing screening, mammography and biopsy free of cost with patients received from across the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2020.