PESHAWAR:The Curative Department of Director General Health Services Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (DGHS-KP) on Tuesday organized awareness walk to spread awareness about breast cancer.
Additional Director General Dr Basit Saleem Khan, Director Curative Dr Saeeda Bibi, Deputy Director Curative Dr Abbass Khan and other health officers participated in the walk.
On this occasion Director Curative DHGS-KP Dr Saeeda Bibi said that the breast cancer is leading cause of death among women all over the world, while its number of cases is increasing in developed and developing countries.
Director Curative said that there are 2.26 million new cases of breast cancer diagnosed worldwide in 2020 while in developing countries and among South Asia Pakistan has the highest number of cases 25,928 (14.5%) in 2020.
She shared that factors like taboos, stereotypes, stigmas, misconceptions regarding women’s health and their bodies pose hurdles in the early screening and treatment of the cases in tertiary care hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is not only danger for women but it cause of death.
Dr Saeeda urged that breast cancer incidence can be reduced through prevention, screening and early diagnosis. She further explained that this heavy burden of disease can be decreased through improvement of health system and create awareness among the people.
She suggested that all women, especially those who are above 40 are above or having family history of breast cancer, must visit nearby health facilities for screening.
Deputy Director Curative DGHS-KP Dr Abbass Khan said that in Pakistan there are limited screening facilities in Pakistan which required to be extended to early diagnose the disease.
He said that provincial government was investing to establish screening centers at divisional level through Health Department and funds for the purpose had been allocated.