ABOUT 200 women between the ages of 18 and 65 have benefitted from a free cervical cancer screening organised by the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN).
At the kickoff of the two-day testing in Ibadan, Oyo State, the Executive Secretary of MUSWEN, Professor Dawud Noibi, said the organisation had initiated several programmes aimed at improving the health of the people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Represented by MUSWEN’s Deputy Chairman, Secretariat Task Force, Alhaji Murziq Siyanbade, Professor Noibi explained that screening for cervical cancer was expensive, hence the need to organise such a programme for the benefit of the common people.
The MUSWEN executive secretary said the fact that cancer of all shades had become a major global health issue, the significance of the screening exercise could not be overemphasised.
“More importantly, the ravaging effect of cervical cancer on the wellbeing of women in contemporary times is alarming,” he said.
He disclosed that cases of cervical cancer were estimated to have occurred with over 266,000 deaths.
Chairman, MUSWEN’s Heath Committee, Professor Muheez Durosinmi of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, said cervicalCancer was the second-most common cause of female-specific cancer after breast cancer, stressing that early detection might prevent death.
Professor Durosinmi appealed to any of the beneficiaries who tested positive to come back as the organisation had made provision for free treatment of the disease.
Some of the beneficiaries lauded MUSWEN for the initiative which they said was good for prevention and early detection of cervical cancer.
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