Every 8th woman in Pakistan at risk of breast cancer: First Lady

Rawalpindi: First Lady Begum Samina Arif Alvi has Wednesday said that one in every eight women in the Pakistan is at the risk of breast cancer, besides one woman falling victim to the disease every 13 minutes.

Speaking at a breast cancer awareness seminar here at the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (RCCI), she commended the order passed by the Supreme Court on the provision of mammography facilities at all public hospitals.

A day earlier, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed during the hearing of a case had taken notice of the increasing number of breast cancer patients and ordered the availability of breast cancer screening facilities with female medical staff at the hospitals under the federal and provincial governments.

Begum Alvi, who is leading the nationwide breast cancer awareness campaign, said the survival rate of breast cancer patients across the globe was about 95-98 percent compared with 45 percent in Pakistan due to late diagnosis.

She proposed installation of a mammogram machine at every teaching hospital so as to train the medical graduates about breast cancer screening.

She said Pakistan had the highest rate of breast cancer deaths in Asia due to late diagnosis at the third and fourth stages.

She pointed out that with a fifty percent female population, there was a need to shun the taboos affiliated with breast cancer to encourage women to seek timely medical consultation.

Begum Alvi urged the women to practice self-detection and consult the doctor immediately on noticing any abnormality in their bodies.

She said a healthy lifestyle, balanced diet, and physical exercise could improve the health of women and could also contribute to minimizing the chances of a fatal disease.

She stressed upon men to extend support to women in their families suffering from breast cancer or in need of medical advice.

Begum Alvi said a healthy and empowered woman could bring about a positive change in society. She invited the women to benefit from the business loans offered by the government and the State Bank of Pakistan.

On differently-abled persons, she said, the marginalized segment deserved special care and opportunities in all fields of life for their effective mainstreaming in society.

President RCCI Chaudry Nadeem Rauf said acknowledging the important role of women in society, the RCCI had taken several key initiatives to ensure their empowerment, including setting up business incubation centres. 

He said to address the challenges pertaining to the wellbeing of women, the RCCI would continue to extend them support on the health issues such as breast cancer. 

RCCI officer-bearers Sohail Altaf and Arooj Saqib said the RCCI would continue to raise the campaign on breast awareness to save the precious lives of women. 

The event was attended by parliamentarians, women entrepreneurs, and the girl students of colleges and universities.

COURTESY: APP