‘Screen For Life’, Qatar’s national breast and bowel cancer screening
programme, led by the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), has
launched a nationwide awareness campaign across the country to mark the
global, annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month initiative.
Since the inception of the ‘Screen For Life’ programme in 2016 and until
the end of July 2017, a total of 11,847 have undergone a free mammogram
and 7,627 men and women have taken part in bowel cancer screening.
With the aim to see numbers increase during this campaign, ‘Screen For
Life’ will be expanding the screening facilities at Leabaib and Rawdat
Al Khail health centres to handle increased traffic.
This month-long drive titled ‘October means Breast Cancer Screening’ is a
comprehensive campaign to be rolled out across the country’s media,
including TV, radio, print and social media, to raise awareness of the
‘Screen For Life’ programme across Qatar, and urge women to undergo a
free mammogram at one of the programme’s three screening suites.
To engage with as many people as possible, ‘Screen For Life’ has
implemented awareness booths in Qatar’s major malls. The team will offer
information and brochures to visitors and a chance to register their
information so the programme’s call centre will schedule them for
screening.
The team will also embark on a far-reaching outreach programme of
lectures at several governmental and non-governmental entities along
with the presence of the dedicated mobile screening unit that will offer
on-site screening to eligible women aged 45 years and above.
“For the second consecutive year, we have launched a major nationwide
campaign to mark the global Breast Cancer Awareness Month movement. This
month’s campaign will see us reaching out to a wide cross-section of
Qatar community, through numerous mediums with the aim of driving home
the message that early screening is crucial in the detection of cancer
and plays a key role in saving lives,” said Dr Shaikha Abu Shaikha,
cancer programme manager, PHCC.
Dr Abu Shaikha added that titling the campaign ‘October means Breast
Cancer Screening’ can encourage as many women as possible to take
advantage of a complimentary mammogram.
“We want people to know we are there for them. It is imperative that we
continue raising breast cancer awareness and is important that they take
a proactive approach with their help by contacting the call centre on
8001112 and booking a screening at one of our facilities,” she added.
