AUSTIN BEYADI, 7th November 2009 @ 11:40, Total Comments: 0, Hits: 727
NATIONAL Health Insurance Fund in collaboration with the Aga Khan Hospital today conducted a free breast cancer screening and awareness campaign in Dar es Salaam, amid reports that the spread of the disease had now reached an alarming stage.
Various studies have revealed a persistent high prevalence of breast cancer among Tanzania women, especially those breast feeding and those under 30 years of age.
The Aga Khan Hospital Medical Director, Dr Jaffer Dharsee, said that the campaign has been organized to encourage women to show up and have screening and training on breast cancer.
"We are going to conduct other campaigns in public areas and communities where awareness programmes are prepared and hope to reach to as many women as we can," he said.
He said that the campaign was expected to screen at least 500 women from Dar es Salaam and surrounding areas and that by today eight women had been diagnosed positive to breast cancer.
"In addition to awareness about early detection, access to a state-of-the-art treatment facility is critical to addressing very high breast cancer mortality rate in Tanzania but should also be accompanied by training of staff to carry out the detections," he said.
He said that doctors, health workers, breast cancer advocates and survivors are key to increasing Tanzanian people's confidence in surviving breast cancer when it is discovered early.
He said that after the screening campaign, it will be followed by training of mammography experts and the women them selves who will be told on how to conduct self investigations.
He said that the sooner that breast cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better the chance of successful treatment.
Dr Dharsee said if women get in the habit of examining their breasts and be aware of how they change during the monthly cycle, they are likely to notice something abnormal quite early.
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