It has been stressed that early detection of cancer of whatever form is a major key to saving lives, especially that of women, therefore, the a need for regular breast and cervical cancer screening.
The assertion was made during a free breast and cervical cancer screening conducted through a joint partnership between the Bauchi State chapter of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) and Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN) with support from the office of the Bauchi State First Lady, Aisha Bala Mohammed.
The free screening was organized to screen women in Bauchi in order to ascertain their status and give free medical advice and counselling.
While speaking at the programme’s opening ceremony held at the Miri Primary Healthcare Center in the outskirts of Bauchi, the Bauchi State First Lady, Aisha Bala Mohammed, described breast and Cervical Cancers as one of the leading causes of death among women globally.
Represented by Hassan Arkila, the First Lady said that the administration of Governor Bala Mohammed has been making frantic efforts to address the ugly scourge of breast and cervical cancer in the state by collaborating with health partners and stakeholders as well as keying into health programmes in that regard.
While commending the State Chapter of NAWOJ and PPFN for organizing the programme, Aisha Bala Mohammed called on stakeholders in the state to create more awareness of the disease so that more women can avail themselves of cancer screening.
She pointed out that it will go a long way to fight the scourge of the diseases as well as reduce the number of deaths as a result of the disease.
Speaking earlier, the State Chairperson of NAWOJ, Rashida Yusuf, said that women, particularly those residing in rural areas, need to be educated on breast and Cervical Cancer as many of them are not aware of what the disease is all about.
She said that the programme was timely considering that many women usually detect the disease when it is in an advanced stage, making it difficult to manage because of the high cost of treatment.
“We brought this programme to the doorsteps of this community because we want more women to come out and get themselves screened for breast and Cervical cancer. We believe early detection is key to saving lives,” she said
Also speaking, the State Coordinator of PPFN, Adamu Abdulkadir Degri, said that PPFN as an organization was established in 1962 to assist state governments in Maternal, Child and Newborn health.
He added that the Bauchi state organisation has trained more than 20 Primary healthcare workers for effective and efficient healthcare service delivery.
In his speech, the District Head of the Miri community, Mallam Hussein Abubakar, stressed the need for women to be screened for Breast and Cervical Cancer at intervals to know their status.
He said that the women should avail themselves of the opportunity to be screened in order not to fall victim to the disease.
Many women trooped to the venue of the free screening with some of them referred to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) and the State Specialist hospital for further checks.
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