Public and private sector officials can receive breast cancer screenings even after Pink October
Coinciding with Pink October – commemorated every year as the international Breast Cancer Awareness Month – the Pink Caravan Mobile Medical Clinic drove awareness forward by providing free breast and cervical cancer screenings and related tests to employees from government and private sectors in the UAE.
The services were part of a comprehensive awareness campaign titled the ‘Pink Caravan Corporate Wellness Days’ organized by the Pink Caravan (PC), a breast cancer awareness initiative that falls under Friends Of Cancer Patients. The campaign targeted employees of government and private sectors, as well as civil community organisations, and included lectures and educational workshops that highlighted the importance of performing regular self-examination as a method for the early detection of breast cancer. Free screenings were also provided.
The Pink Caravan offers three additional ‘Wellness Day’ options until the end of the year. The first includes a series of awareness programmes and educational workshops. The second provides physical examinations, while the third is a combination of the two along with a mammogram screening for breast cancer using the Pink Caravan Mobile Clinic.
During Pink October, a variety of entities benefitted from the Pink Caravan. The initiative conducted a combination of awareness lectures and clinical checkups for employees of several organisations including Sharjah Ladies Club (SLC), NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA), Al Wasl Club Dubai, Ajman Specialty General Hospital, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), Dubai South, Ibn Seena, The Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable & Humanitarian Foundation and Nutrition Middle East.
Dr Sawsan Al Madhi, Director General of Friends Of Cancer Patients (FOCP) and Head of Pink Caravan’s Medical and Awareness Committee, said: “The response from both government and private sectors has been extremely positive. With the active participation of those we designed this campaign for, Pink Caravan Corporate Wellness Days has succeeded in achieving its goals to heighten people’s awareness about breast and cervical cancers by telling them about the important role regular screenings play in the early detection and diagnosis of the disease.”
“Even after the Breast Cancer Awareness Month concludes, our medical teams will continue to educate the UAE community about the risks of the disease through awareness lectures and free screenings.”
The Pink Caravan Mobile Medical Clinic has been one of Pink Caravan’s biggest achievements since it was launched in 2011. This February, PC introduced the first-of-its-kind Pink Caravan Mobile Screening Clinic to offer free screening and early detection services to communities across the UAE throughout the year. The mobile clinic has been become part of the campaign with support from Sharjah Media Corporation (SMC).
The Clinic provides free medical services to the UAE community throughout the year, not only during the Pink Caravan Corporate Wellness Days. Services include breast cancer screening with 3D mammography, as well as a range of other medical tests, including sugar, blood pressure, osteoporosis and height and weight measurements.
The Pink Caravan Corporate Wellness Day can be booked by sending an email to info@pinkcaravan.ae. More information about their latest initiatives, awareness programmes and volunteering opportunities are available on their social media handle, @ThePinkCaravan.
Pink Caravan was founded in 2011 under the patronage of Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Founder and Royal Patron of FOCP, International Ambassador of the World Cancer Declaration for Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), International Ambassador for Childhood Cancer for UICC and wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah. The initiative has offered more than 56,000 free clinical examinations since its inception including 16,462 mammograms and 2,232 ultrasounds.
At the end of the eighth Pink Caravan Ride, clinical screenings, mammograms and expert medical advice has been offered to 7,795 people, 61 of whom we’re positive cases – the highest number the initiative has reached in its eight-year history. The stats breakup offered by the Medical Awareness Committee of ride includes 7,177 women and 618 men. These numbers comprise 1,557 locals and 6,238 expatriates, constituting 2,559 people in the 40+ age category and 5,236 individuals below 40 years of age. After the initial clinical screenings, 2,186 were referred for a mammogram, and 430 were advised to undergo an ultrasound.
