ISLAMABAD: Begum Samina Alvi, wife of President Dr Arif Alvi said every eighth woman in Pakistan was at the risk of suffering from breast cancer and stressed the need for an urgent plan of action to reduce the growing number of such patients.
Addressing at an awareness walk on breast cancer at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Begum Alvi said establishing a national cancer registry was the need of the hour to formulate effective policies in line with the accurate database on the disease, including breast cancer.
Begum Alvi said early diagnosis was the best way to check breast cancer instead of the expensive and painful treatment at later stages of the disease. She said in Pakistan with 0.1 million new cancer patients every year, breast cancer among topped the list of various forms of the disease. She emphasised on raising mass awareness in society to shun taboos affiliated with breast cancer.
Begum Alvi said a healthy woman could positively contribute to the society and advised the women to practice self-diagnosis, which could save precious lives.
She said though October was marked across the country as the breast cancer awareness month, the message needed to be spread persistently throughout the year. She urged women parliamentarians to play a strong role in highlighting the issue in their constituencies and sensitise the people.
First Lady Ms Alvi said she would visit all provinces in the current month to raise awareness among girls and women at schools and colleges about breast cancer.
Dr Faisal Sultan, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Health said the government was making efforts to strengthen the primary care centres to treat cancers of different kinds including breast cancer. Parliamentary Secretary on Health Dr Nosheen Hamid said lack of awareness was the main reason behind the alarming death rate of 98 percent in patients with breast cancer in the country.
Later, Begum Alvi led the awareness walk along with Executive Director NIH Major General Aamer Ikram, Parliamentart Secretary for Foreign Affairs Andleeb Abbas, doctors, researchers and women from all walks of life including the breast cancer patients.
