"Early Detection is the Best Protection"
Tawam Hospital – first in the Middle East to launch a Mobile Mammography van in 2009, more outreach in 2010
Women urged to participate in free breast cancer screening throughout the month of October
Daily and weekly educational activities available for men, women and families
According to the UAE Cancer registry, Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UAE
Tawam Hospital, in affiliation with John Hopkins Medicine, is once again taking the lead in promoting the early detection and treatment of breast cancer by launching one of the most extensive awareness campaigns ever seen in the region. The campaign will take place throughout October – the month dedicated to breast cancer awareness globally.
Famous for being the first hospital in the Middle East to launch a Mobile Mammography Van in 2009, Tawam Hospital will be providing screening for women above the age of 40 living across the emirate of Abu Dhabi with a focus on outreach in remote areas of the Western district.
The annual campaign is organized by Tawam Hospital and supported by SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The month-long Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign will run throughout October 2010, with the majority of activities taking place in Abu Dhabi, and particularly in the remote areas of the emirate, which suffers from extremely low awareness levels. This year, screenings and educational sessions will be held at:
Al Bawadi Mall – Al Ain
Al Wagan Hospital
Al Basra Park
Al Jahli Clinic
Abu Dhabi Medical Congress -ADNEC
AL Khaladiya Mall Abu Dhabi
Hili Fun City- Al Ain
Tawam Hospital’s ‘Early Detection is the Best Protection’ campaign will comprise of daily and weekly awareness activities that are dedicated to educating women, men and families on the importance of early detection of breast cancer and the importance of regular screenings. Activities taking place throughout the month of October 2010 include screening for women aged 40 and above (nationals and residents of Abu Dhabi), using the Tawam Hospital Mobile Mammography Van.
“Based on the great feedback we received from the 2009 breast cancer campaign, we are launching this year’s campaign with even more activities and more screening opportunities for women,” said Gregory Schaffer, CEO Tawam Hospital. “Our message once again is that, as a responsible part of the UAE public health system, we will not allow breast cancer to remain a taboo in our communities. This is why our campaign targets and encourages every woman, and man in our society to learn more about this disease and how to detect it. Early detection of breast cancer is crucial for successful treatment, and people need to understand this in order to become more proactive by taking regular screenings and self examinations seriously.”
“All the activities we’ve chosen for the campaign are fun, simple and educational. But, most importantly, our campaign requires hands-on involvement and participation from our community. Our strategy here is to show people how easy it is to become aware and pro-active about your own health. Once we achieve this we hope that people will make it a habit to take precautionary measures against breast cancer and other diseases as well,” said Dr. Huda Al Shamsi, Member of the Breast Cancer Awareness Committee at Tawam Hospital.
Along with other community activities, October 29th will be dedicated for a full day of family fun at Hili Fun City in Al Ain.
Based on the Abu Dhabi Community Profile findings prepared by the global initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness Team at HAAD, Breast Cancer has been identified as the single most common cancer in the UAE for both national and non-national women, and is the second leading cause of death in women, accounting for 28 per cent of all female deaths in the UAE. The disease has a notably high incidence and a mortality rate of 44 per cent due to late diagnosis.
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