SHARJAH, 17 November 2006 — Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al-Qassimi, the UAE minister for economy and planning and founding member of the Board of Trustees of the “Friends of Cancer Patients,” launched the National Breast Cancer screening campaign yesterday at the Maternal and Child Health Centre in Sharjah.
Sheikha Lubna visited the Maternal and Child Health Centre in Sharjah where she underwent a mammography test in order to set an example for local and expatriate women in the UAE and raise awareness of the importance of routine mammography testing in the fight against breast cancer.
Sheikha Lubna stressed that she has been doing annual mammograms for the past seven years and explained that she hoped the awareness program would further reinforce the message that an annual mammography should be an essential part of routine health checks for all UAE women over forty.
“Breast cancer is a very real risk that most people would rather not address or think about. In the UAE, most cases of breast cancer are detected at a late stage. It is important for women to understand that early detection can save lives,” she said.
She added, “Although the mammography test is a bit uncomfortable, it is the responsibility of every mother and every sister to think about the potential consequences of delaying the test. Unfortunately, ignoring a risk does not make it go away.”
Friends of Cancer Patients, the patronized charity of Sheikha Jawahar bint Mohammad Al-Qasimi, wife of the ruler of Sharjah and president of the Higher Council for Family Affairs, has been providing strong support to the National Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign.
Sawsan Jafar, president of Friends of Cancer Patients said that the group is proud to consistently offer support to such awareness initiatives.
“We are honored to have been working closely with the Ministry of Health, GE Healthcare and Hoffmann-La Roche, in order to make this service available for free for all women in the UAE during October and November,” she said.
Sawsan Jafar also stated that response to the free screening initiative has so far been extremely positive, with the center in Sharjah almost fully booked.
“A total of 97 women have visited the center for free mammography tests since the start of the campaign in October. We hope to see the same level of interest running throughout November,” she concluded.
The National Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign will continue to run throughout November with several private hospitals partaking in the campaign across the UAE.
