Breast Cancer Awareness Festival in Souq Al-Mubarakiya, October 14-16, 2023
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cancer Aware Nation (CAN), Dr. Khaled Al-Saleh, said that awareness achieves approximately one-third of the cure rate for cancerous diseases and that early detection helps increase cure by 30 percent.
Al-Saleh stressed in his speech during the festival, which was held today, Saturday, in Mubarakiya, as part of the activities of the “Your Health is Your Capital” campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer, and which lasts for three days, the constant endeavor to achieve the best results in the fields of awareness and early detection, as well as cooperation and exchange of experiences to achieve integration in work and reach all segments and groups of society. In various fields, with governmental and private bodies and civil society institutions.
He pointed out that CAN campaign also cooperates with associations across the Gulf countries that have a history of working in this field, and they are members of the Gulf Federation for Cancer Control (GFFCC), pointing out that volunteer work is affected by its surroundings, and we are living these days in difficult circumstances, in light of the current events in Gaza and what they are suffering as a result of this Events.
He pointed out that he had received a letter from the director of the Aid and Hope Association for Cancer Patients in Gaza, Iman Shanen, in which she stated that there was a tragedy taking place now in Gaza and that cancer patients no longer had any way to receive treatment or even reach their treatment places.
He said that he contacted the Patient Relief Fund Association to try to help, and that it expressed its willingness to cooperate and contacted the Rahma Worldwide Association, which represents them in Gaza, to provide immediate assistance to cancer patients, which responded by apologizing due to the siege imposed on the Strip.
For her part, member of the Board of Directors Dr. Hessa Al-Shaheen, said that the presence of partners today to promote and support important educational programs to enhance women’s health in the State of Kuwait reflects the amount of awareness of the importance of awareness.
She explained that prevention is one of the most important things that the CAN campaign seeks to highlight because of its great impact on building a healthy and sound body. This is supported by highlighting the adoption of physical activity appropriate for every age, noting that these aspects are enhanced by organizing the Haido (CAN) team for men and the CAN team. Haidu (Can) for women created this year.
For her part, Secretary of the Women’s Voluntary Society for Community Development, Dr. Mona Al-Qattan, stressed the society’s keenness to raise awareness about the disease and share information about it and the necessity of providing detection and examination services related to it in order to raise recovery rates, noting that death rates decreased by 40 percent between the 1980s and 2020, according to World Health Organization statistics. .
She said that World Health Organization figures indicate that there are 1.83 million new cases of breast cancer annually, and the disease kills 458,000 people per year. Although the disease affects women, men are also exposed to it, but to a lesser extent.
She explained that reducing the global mortality rate from breast cancer by 2.5 percent annually would avoid 25 percent of deaths by 2030 and 40 percent by 2040 among women under the age of seventy.
Dr. Al-Qattan indicated that there are important pillars for achieving the goals of awareness campaigns regarding the necessity of early detection, which are represented in health education to promote early detection, early diagnosis, and comprehensive treatment for breast cancer.
She noted the association’s keenness to participate in awareness campaigns during the month of Pink October, based on its societal role, by holding awareness campaigns for the disease that include its causes and methods of prevention, with a focus on early detection and examination methods that include self-examination, examination by a doctor, and mammogram imaging.
She said that the campaign also focuses on raising awareness of the dangers of obesity, which increases the risk of breast cancer, and the necessity of avoiding weight gain over time, maintaining the body mass index, maintaining a balanced diet rich in vegetables and fruits, and eating lean proteins, as well as practicing physical activity and learning about family history. .