The Primary Health Care Corporation( PHCC) has successfully concluded its Bowel Cancer Awareness Month campaign entitled “Preventable, Treatable, Curable”.
The campaign aimed to remind all women and men in Qatar about the importance of getting screened by running a test that can detect bowel cancer at an early stage; early detection renders bowel cancer treatable and increase the chances of complete cure up to 90%. It’s also important to point out that the key to prevention of bowel cancer is by following a healthy lifestyle and getting periodic screening through Screen for Life programme.
The month-long campaign aimed at educating the public about the importance of early detection of bowel cancer and to promote getting screened with a free bowel test known as the Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT test) offered to all women and men in Qatar aged between 50-74 years who show no symptoms related to bowel cancer and who did not have bowel cancer screening done in the last two years or any colonoscopy within the last 10 years.
This campaign included new educational materials explaining the slogan and the campaign, digital media campaign from social media posts to competitions, to internal communication as well as mass communication.
In addition to this, the programme delivered a medical lecture to the family medicine residents as well as setting up health corners in different health centers to answer the public requests related to bowel cancer and screening.
"Our goal was to reach as many people as possible during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, and we are pleased with the success of our efforts," said, Dr Shaikha Abu Shaikha, director of Screening Programmes. "We hope that our campaign has helped to save lives by encouraging more people to get screened for bowel cancer."
As a result, a total of 1620 appointments were booked during March, and 765 screenings were successfully completed. These results represent a significant increase in awareness about the importance of bowel cancer screening and the need for early detection.
"We are thrilled with the response we received from the community during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month," continued Dr Shaikha. "The number of appointments booked, and screenings completed is a proof to the effectiveness of our campaign and the dedication of our team to raising awareness about this important issue."
Those who are eligible for bowel screening, can contact the call centre 8001112 to book an appointment. There are four different units located at different health centres across Qatar, namely, Leabaib, Rawdat Al khail, Muaither, and Al-Wakra health centres which are all fully equipped facilities with very well-trained clinical staff.
Dr Shaikha Abu Shaikha.
