By Minahil Makhdoom
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) and Pink Ribbon Pakistan on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to raise awareness about breast cancer with joint efforts and play a role to control it. President ICCI Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan and CEO Pink Ribbon Pakistan Omer Aftab signed the MoU during a ceremony held at ICCI. Speaking at the occasion, Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan said that breast cancer was on the rise in Pakistan as roughly one in eight women was vulnerable to develop it in their life. He said that almost 30 percent of cancers in women were reportedly breast cancers and 3 percent women were dying from this disease. He said being a developing country, it was difficult for Pakistan to provide treatment to every cancer patient, therefore, it was very important to take preventive measures to avert any bad scenario. He said that contrary to around 98 percent survival rate, almost 50 percent breast cancer patients in Pakistan reportedly died due to delayed diagnosis as the ailment was usually concealed owing to attached taboos.
The ICCI President emphasized for concerted efforts to create massive awareness by including the business community, intelligentsia, media, and health experts to prevent the prevalence of breast cancer in the country. He hoped that MoU of cooperation between ICCI and Pink Ribbon Pakistan would be instrumental in raising better awareness about this fatal disease and reducing its mortality rate. Senior Vice President ICCI Ms. Fatma Azim and Vice President Abdul Rehman Khan said that poor diet, smoking, eating adulterated food & liquids and alcohol were some major risk factors for breast cancer and urged that society should be educated to avoid using these things. They said that breast cancer could be diagnosed at an early stage by guiding and educating the women about its major causes. They said that ICCI would organize awareness sessions and seminars on the causes of breast cancer and how to control it. They said that ICCI would also use its publicity platforms to create awareness about this fatal disease. CEO Pink Ribbon Pakistan Omer Aftab highlighted the role of his organization to fight against breast cancer. He said that Pink Ribbon Pakistan was in the process of constructing Pakistan’s first dedicated breast cancer hospital, which will be a breakthrough in breast cancer management in Pakistan. He said that breast cancer patients will be treated with world class healthcare technology and hoped that their hospital would contribute significantly towards reducing the breast cancer mortality in Pakistan. He said that this year, the government organized many awareness sessions about breast cancer, which was laudable and hoped that the government would make effective policies besides providing better health facilities to control this fatal disease in the country.
