Federal health minister urges breast cancer screening

Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal has said that around 150,000 women die of breast cancer every year in Pakistan - a tragedy that can largely be prevented through early diagnosis and timely treatment.

Speaking at a breast cancer awareness session at Memon Medical Institute in Karachi, the minister said that social taboos and hesitation prevent many women from discussing the disease, which remains one of the biggest barriers to early detection.

He stressed that while Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad has a fully functional breast cancer diagnostic facility, there is a dire need for nationwide awareness. "It is time men also play their role by encouraging women in their households to undergo breast cancer screening," he said.

Quoting World Health Organization (WHO) data, the minister noted that over 13 million people globally have fallen below the poverty line due to health-related expenses.