Sehat Mela on breast cancer inaugurated

First lady says every woman should take out five minutes daily for self-examination

ISLAMABAD:

Begum Samina Arif Alvi urged women in the country to get to know the symptoms of breast cancer and practice every month the five-minute routine of self-examination.

She was speaking at the Sehat Mela organised at Tarlai Rural Health Centre on Monday.

She said diagnosis of the disease at the first stage had 98 percent chances of saving the patient’s life. Begum Alvi said taking out five minutes every month was extremely important for a woman to detect any abnormality in the body followed by immediate medical help.

Expressing concern over the 40,000 deaths due to breast cancer every year, she said it was the time for the women to realise the gravity of the situation and be concerned about their health.

Read ‘Screening a must to avoid breast cancer’

“Women must adopt a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet and physical exercise, to prevent breast cancer,” she emphasised. She called upon the women to spread the awareness message to at least 10 other women around them.

Begum Alvi lauded the government’s step to involve nurses and lady health workers in creating awareness on the issue and mentioned the immense support rendered by civil and military departments, welfare organisations, media and educational institutions.

Speaking at the event, Representative of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for Pakistan Bakhtiyar Kadrov said Pakistan had the highest rate of breast cancer cases in Asia, which needed urgent measures.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^th, 2021.