Pink Caravan to screen 10,000 for breast cancer

The Pink Caravan campaign, an initiative launched by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, together with his wife, H.H. Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, has continued to offer free early breast cancer detection examinations to all members of society to raise awareness about breast cancer across the UAE.

The Pink Caravan set up a mobile clinic at the Atlantis hotel on the Palm Jumeirah for the second time in two weeks, following the huge response received during its first visit. On this occasion, more than 350 women - were screened.

Screenings were conducted in cooperation with the hotel's management, which welcomed the idea and made all the necessary preparations. One doctor and one nurse were sent from the Canadian Hospital to help the Pink Caravan's medical team in carrying out the examinations.

These visits are in line with the Pink Caravan's aim to increase the number of people screened for breast cancer to 10,000 by the end of October 2011.

Speaking of the importance of the campaign, Ameera Bin Karam, President and Founding Member of Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP), said, "The UAE pays a lot of attention to the health status of both Emirati nationals and expatriate residents, since building human capital is one of its top priorities. The launch of the Pink Caravan campaign is evidence of the country's commitment to a humanitarian approach." She highlighted the great response the campaign has received, which provides concrete proof of people's awareness of and respect for this important initiative.

She also referred to the immense support the campaign has received from many government and private bodies, particularly the Ministry of Health, the Dubai Health Authority, the Abu Dhabi Health Authority and Sharjah Islamic Bank, and the important role they have played in enabling the campaign to continue.

"We are delighted to announce that, following the tremendous response the Pink Caravan campaign has received, we are in the process of establishing a cancer register within the UAE. This register will allow health professionals to follow up on the health of cancer patients and provide them with highest standards of healthcare, in line with the wise directives of the UAE's leaders. The support of both the UAE's leaders and all involved bodies is a role model for solidarity, and has enhanced the principles of social responsibility," Ms Karam said.

She urged both the public and private sectors to follow in the footsteps of the Canadian Hospital and Atlantis Hotel, which provided all possible support to ease the process of conducting the early breast cancer detection examinations, in order to reach the largest number of people possible, in line with their belief in and commitment to the ideals of social responsibility.

On behalf of Atlantis, Says Kristina Vaneva, Manager of Employee Marketing (HR): "At Atlantis we are completely committed to the welfare of our team members and we are delighted to have hosted the Pink Caravan at the hotel twice over the past few weeks. By offering our team members access to free breast cancer screenings through the Pink Caravan, we hope to not only raise awareness, but also to show our support for this important initiative, which has already touched so many lives".

Mohammed Al Barazenjey, Head of Media Relations, from Canadian Specialist Hospital, said: "Our participation in the Pink Caravan Campaign forms part of our commitment to corporate social responsibility, which requires us to contribute to sustainable growth in various fields. This is done by supporting, encouraging and spreading awareness among members of community. We believe in the great role played by the Pink Caravan in spreading awareness among both women and men on the importance of early breast cancer detection. Our involvement with the Pink Caravan campaign is through the provision of a specialized medical team that helps spread awareness through lectures, by offering free screening tests, and by handing out a number of coupons for free mammograms."

The Pink Caravan programme for June included setting up mobile clinics and organising lectures at Al Nukhailat Girls School, Al Ruwaidha Girls School, Al Juwaizea Boys School in Al Saja, Khawla bin Thalaba Girls School, Al Ghafiya Boys School, Al Qarayen Girls School, Al Khan Girls School, Al Qasimiya Boys School, Al Noor Girls School, Mughaidir Boys School, Al Nouf Girls School, Sharjah English School, and Dibba Al Husn School, with the assistance of Preventive Medicine in Dibba Al Husn.

The programme also includes visits to the Sharjah Transport Corporation, the Guidance Society in Ajman, Mushairif Model School in Ajman, and Ladies Club in Kalba.

Earlier, an official source from the Pink Caravan campaign revealed the results of its ten-day campaign across the UAE, which took place earlier this year. Statistics from the country-wide campaign show that 2,446 people attended lectures (2,350 women and 96 men), and 1,600 people were screened for breast cancer (1,537 women and 63 men).

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