By Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter


Appointments for breast screening the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) will be granted without any delay and in most cases women will be able to avail of it within two days to two weeks, a senior official has promised.
Speaking to Gulf Times on the occasion of the inauguration of the “Be Breast Aware” Wall Clock at the Women’s Hospital, Ambika Anand, senior consultant breast surgeon at the  HMC, said  people could contact the call centre for an appointment.
“Those who would like to undergo screening, can contact the call centre. We will arrange a screening session at the earliest possible and sometimes it can even be on the same day. However,  normally it is done in two days to two weeks’ time,” he said.
“The screening does not take a long time. People have several misconceptions about screening and many believe that it is a long procedure. The truth is that the whole process  can be completed in 10-15 minutes. However, the screening will be done at HMC only until May  this year as it will be brought under the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) from May.” People can contact the breast cancer screening unit on 66004051 or 44398994.
As part of the National Cancer Programme’s ongoing activities, a “Be Breast Aware” Wall Clock was inaugurated at the waiting area of the Women’s Hospital last week by Dr Shaikha Sami Abushaikha, manager,  Special Programme Division at Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), Ghislaine van den Born, assistant executive director of Hospitality at HMC, and Fiona Bonas, director of National Cancer Programme, SCH.
The massive wall clock, hung at the  Section 3 waiting area, bear  the campaign’s message “Be Breast Aware” written in  Arabic calligraphy at the centre of the artefact. Surrounding this message are words of encouragement and empowerment, promoting early detection through being breast aware and acknowledging a woman’s ability and strength to protect herself  from breast cancer and face the disease head on.
Dr. Salha Bujassoum, medical oncologist and director of Breast Cancer Screening at the HMC, commented: “We are committed to supporting the National Cancer Programme and its  ambition which encourages women to be more breast aware.”
Fiona Bonas, director of National Cancer Programme, said: “We would like to thank the Hamad Medical Corporation that includes National Centre for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR)  and the Women’s Hospital, for their  support of this great cause and providing an ideal home for the ‘Be Breast Aware’ Wall Clock.”
In an effort to raise awareness about breast cancer and the importance of early detection, NCP has launched various activities around Qatar under the umbrella of its latest campaign ‘Be Breast Aware.’




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