NAGHAM KARAJEH

Gaza- The Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual international health campaign organized every October to increase awareness of the disease. Yesterday, the Culture and Free Thought Association (CFTA) kicked off their Breast Cancer Awareness campaign by unveiling their “Pink Bus”, which will travel to many rural areas in order to raise awareness about breast cancer. The association will organize many activities in the Gaza Strip.

“Patients should not fall in despair”

Basma Wishah, a member of the association, said, “The Pink Bus is the first activity organized by our association as part of the Beast Cancer Awareness Month. We will also organize educational and awareness-raising workshops to raise awareness of our society about the importance of early detection and support patients. Breast cancer patients should not fail in despair.”

The importance of early detection

“Today, we were able to reach many women and girls in the Gaza Strip thanks to such activities,” Safaa Abu Maaliq said, “We distributed awareness-raising brochures about breast cancer, its symptoms and ways to prevent it.” She pointed out that the incidence of breast cancer among women and girls is due to negligence, failure to perform a breast self-exam and failure to follow up on their regular physical examinations, explaining that the survival rate is approximately 90% for women who are diagnosed with the disease at the early stages.

“Women and girls must perform a breast self-exam”

Reem Al Nabaheen, a health care worker, stated that many activities and events are organized in October to raise awareness about breast cancer ant reduce the incidence of breast cancer. “For an early detection, women and girls must perform a breast self-exam. Self-exam is very important for women and girls,” she added.

In the press statement issued by the CFTA, Mariam Zakoot, director of the CFTA, said that breast cancer patients suffer due to the lack of complete care services such as the lack of radiotherapy, medicines, as well as the lack of equipment and devices needed for care and treatment. “Cancer patients are not allowed to travel outside of the Gaza Strip to receive treatment. Until they get a permission to travel outside of the Gaza Strip, their health conditions deteriorate,” Mariam Zakoot said, calling on the Palestinian Ministry of Health to implement a project to provide the necessary medicines, equipment and devices for cancer patients in the Gaza Strip.