ISLAMABAD - Around 110 women die every day and 40,000 every year due to Breast Cancer in Pakistan which is an alarming and emergency situation and demands us to act quickly and effectively to counter the menace.
This was revealed by Pink Ribbon, a no-profit organization working for Breast Cancer awareness and healthcare services, in their World Cancer Day press note issued here. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pink Ribbon Omer Aftab told, “Pakistan has the highest prevalence of Breast Cancer in the entire Asian region. Every 9th woman is at high risk of Breast Cancer and a total of 10.2 million women are at stake. Cancer causes about 9.5 million deaths worldwide every year. About 26,000 people lose the battle per day. February 4 is commemorated as World Cancer Day and various events like festivals, walks, seminars and public information campaigns are held to raise awareness and educate people on how to fight cancer through screening and early detection, through healthy eating and physical activity, by quitting smoking, and by urging public officials to make cancer issues a priority. According to healthcare professionals, Breast Cancer is the most common cancer among Pakistani women as 90,000 new cases are reported every year. Pakistan’s health sector does not contain enough facilities to provide service to all cancer patients. As per official stats, our total spending in health sector is 0.57% of GDP, lower than all other Asian countries which have an average of 4.7%. We have only one doctor for 1,254 people, one nurse for 2,671, one midwife for 6,235 and one lady health visitor for 18,318. Pink Ribbon is building Pakistan’s first dedicated Breast Cancer hospital which , after completion by the end of 2019, is likely to attend up to 40,000 patients annually.