Breast cancer awareness: Alvi calls for ensuring early detection to curb spread

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has said there is a need to convey the message and raise awareness door-to-door about breast cancer across the country to ensure early detection of the disease and reduce the mortality rate.

Addressing the Breast Cancer Awareness Programme here on Monday, the president said awareness about other key health issues including mental health, stunting, and women’s health should also be raised along with the breast cancer awareness campaign as it was very important to keep women healthy for a healthy nation.

He said that Pakistan had successfully handled the polio disease and this experience also helped the government to successfully handle Covid-19 later on. Now, he said the country was also driving the breast cancer awareness campaign very effectively.

Highlighting the family system in the country, the president said that a woman was the key member of a family that must be kept healthy, financially empowered and also kept safe from any kind of harassment in society.

He said empowering women economically was linked with the overall economic growth of the country.

He said in Pakistan, 24 per cent of the total population was suffering from mental disease that was due to a number of reasons including diseases, and financial issues.

He maintained that due to a lack of resources in the country, prevention should be focused to avoid chronic disease at a later stage.

First Lady Begum Samina Alvi urged the women to learn how to make self-detection to ensure timely diagnosis of the disease.

"Women should make a habit of self-examination for five months every month to minimise the death rate."

Caretaker Minister for Health Dr Nadeem Jan, on the occasion, said the government needed to increase the health budget in the country up to four per cent of GDP that was currently only one per cent of GDP.

Country representative for Pakistan World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Palitha Gunarathna Mahipala, while addressing the ceremony, appreciated President Dr Arif Alvi and First Lady Begum Samina Alvi for raising awareness about breast cancer in Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023