Early detection is the prevention of breast cancer, said Albana, the wife of the Portuguese ambassador in Pakistan.
She was speaking at an event on breast cancer awareness hosted by the Italian embassy in collaboration with the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC). The event was attended by the wives of several ambassadors in Islamabad. Express News’ morning show, Expresso, covered the event exclusively and had a chat with the spouses of ambassadors including Irina, Albana, and Laura.
Irina, the wife of the Czech Republic’s ambassador, said that breast cancer awareness is important and the initiatives taken to raise awareness amongst Pakistani women is a good one. To a question on how things can be done more effectively, she said that the issue is very sensitive in this society, as this awareness may have to go through the men because the family unit in Pakistani society is male-dominated.
She said women in this part of the world are quite shy, but with the right support from their families, they can be reached.
About the event, Irina said that it was very informative and she was shocked to learn that amongst all the cancer patients at SKMCH, the highest number of patients were that of breast cancer, evidence that it is the most prevalent type of cancer in Pakistan.
She said that the spread of information will enable society to help save more lives. Early detection is very crucial, as detection during the first two stages ensures a 98-100% chance of survival.
Albana said Pakistani women need to be educated that self-checks are not to be done only in October, but that they should be part of their daily routine. She added the event taught her about facts and figures regarding breast cancer and the need to do something to spread awareness. Italian ambassador’s wife Laura said the Pakistani society is multicultural. Spreading information about the early detection of breast cancer is crucial, she said.
Laura appreciated that the ratio of awareness is growing, which is satisfactory.
Through the campaign, Laura said that she had learned a lot about breast cancer, but admitted there was still room to learn more. She congratulated the organizers for their breast cancer awareness efforts. In her message to Pakistani women, she said breast cancer can impact any woman on earth, but not all women need to go through it. She stressed that women should spend more time on their health rather than on their image.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2020.
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