Hundreds participate in Ajman Walkathon

A walkathon was organized by the Ajman Municipality and the Um Al Moumineen Women Association. The Walkathon from Al Rashidiya Park to the Um Al Moumineen Women Association in Ajman was attended by about 700 people. The walkathon on Monday was celebrated with the release of hundreds of pink balloons and ‘sign and support the cause campaign’.

Free self-check screenings were also conducted by Dr Nyra, specialist gynecologist, Ibin Sina medical Centre as part of the occasion.

Dr.Gafoor Chiarman of Ibin Sina medical centre said.  “Whilst most people are aware of breast cancer, many forget to take the steps to stay vigilant of any changes through performing regular self-breast examinations.  As early detection is the best prevention, I encourage all women to learn how to self-examine regularly, reporting any changes to their Doctor immediately.”

He added, “Although we have made a lot of progress in spreading awareness of the importance of self-examinations and knowing what to look for, we still have a long way to go. The aim of the ‘Because We Care’ campaign is to raise public awareness for breast cancer, knowing what to look for, how to detect it, its treatment and the need for a reliable, permanent cure in the not too distant future.” 

In the UAE, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer, with the number of breast cancer cases having increased by around 20 per cent since 2009, as per DHA.

The good news though is that survival rates are also increasing – in the 1970’s around five out of 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer survived, now it’s more than eight out of 10, with almost two out of three women now surviving beyond 20 years of the initial diagnoses, according to cancer research in developed countries.

Anglo Arabian Healthcare also released their breast self-examination tutorial during the occasion as well as providing a breast cancer awareness talk by Dr. Hanan Helmy, specialist gynecologist from New Ibin Sina Medical Centre (Anglo Arabian Healthcare. 

“Regular self-checks can help women to detect early signs and take immediate measures to prevent and cure” said Dr. Helmy during her session.

The Ibin Sina Medical Centre has been in the forefront for conducting several public health education initiatives to make people aware of healthcare issues and encouraged to follow a healthy lifestyle. 

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