KUWAIT: Under the patronage of Social, Family, and Childhood Affairs Minister Dr Amthal Al-Huwailah, the Cancer Aware Nation (CAN) launched its breast cancer awareness campaign for the 13th consecutive year, under the theme "Your health is in your examination.” Social Affairs Ministry Undersecretary Dr Khalid Al-Ajmi said the Ministry supports many NGOs and all awareness campaigns in order to increase health awareness, especially for women. He urged women to be keen on periodical testing, as science proved its importance in the early discovery of cancer, just as it is important to follow a healthy lifestyle.
CAN’s chairman of the board, Dr Khalid Al-Saleh, said: "For the 13th consecutive year, we stand in front of you as we all join hands to raise awareness and transform Kuwait into a developmental, cultural, and healthy state. This was a far-ambitious hope, but every year, it draws closer. When I joined the Kuwait Center for Cancer Control (KCCC) in 1983, the rate of advanced breast cases was more than 70 percent, but now, with the awareness, the late referral dropped to almost 30 percent, as the woman whose case is discovered early has a great chance of being cured — at a rate of over 85 percent.”
CAN board member, Dr Hussa Al-Shaheen, who is in charge of "Your Health in Your Testing,” said: "We are so proud that we are launching the ‘Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign’ for the 13th consecutive year, under the official patronage of Minister Dr Amthal Al-Huwailah.” She said the campaign trained nearly 152,000 women on self-examination in cooperation with the Health Ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO). The strategy of CAN in promoting awareness is to cooperate with ministries, NGOs, and private sector companies.
CAN knows the importance of awareness activities and their effect on society. Many women turned out to be trained on self-examination and the mammogram test. The "Your Health is in Your Examination” started with making advertisements in public places and asking people to participate in the "Pink October” activities, which last from October 1st until 31st.
"There are women who have fully recovered from cancer, and we seek their help in spreading hope, as many of them volunteer to give a correct and hopeful image about the disease, which is now considered among the chronic diseases. CAN gives great attention to sports, and we established a Heido team that is made of young men and another team for women. There will be a tennis tournament for blind women themed "Pink Steps” in cooperation with the Blinds Society at the Boulevard Mall,” she added.