Healthcare | Wednesday 18 October, 2017 5:26 am |

Pink Caravan has called for citizens and residents in the UAE to become involved with their programme of breast cancer awareness activities it has drawn up for October. The non-profit organisation - an initiative under Friends of Cancer Patients Society (FoCP) - is using Breast Cancer Awareness Month to highlight the importance of early detection of the disease with a total of 48 activities that have been designed to engage with the public across the country.

 

Known as a dedicated campaign to raise awareness of the importance of breast cancer screening for the early detection of the disease, Pink Caravan has outlined four ways it says people can become involved in helping promote its message: interacting with its social media platforms, engaging with its fundraising activities, encouraging family members to have check-ups and spreading the news about the importance of conducting self-examinations.

 

“There are many ways that people in the UAE - men and women, from all ages - can become involved with helping beat the scourge of breast cancer. Pink Caravan has arranged for a month-long programme of 15 corporate wellness days, 15 external activations and 18 vendor support initiatives with communities, entities and companies to spread awareness about the importance of undergoing screening,” said Dr. Sawsan Al Madhi, Director General of FoCP and Head of Pink Caravan’s Medical and Awareness Committee.

 

“We would encourage everyone to visit our Pink Caravan Social Media pages @ThePinkCaravan and find out where they can play a part in supporting our community programme, whether by offering a donation, purchasing a product from a participating outlet or becoming an active fundraiser. However, fundraising is just one aspect of fighting breast cancer, informing others about the need to undergo screening and to conduct regular self-examinations is equally as important, especially for the group highly at risk of developing the disease, which is women over the age of 40 years. We therefore encourage citizens to spread our message to their families and loved ones,” she added. 

 

Pink Caravan was launched in 2011 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council Ruler of Sharjah and Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, Founder and Patron of FoCP, International Ambassador of the World Cancer Declaration for Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and International Ambassador for Childhood Cancer for UICC.  The campaign is renowned for its annual spring ride across the seven emirates, where it  provides free breast check-ups for both men and women.

 

To date the Pink Caravan Ride has travelled 1,640 kilometres across the UAE’s seven emirates with almost 500 riders and more than 700 volunteers providing free clinical examinations to a total of 48,874 locals and residents at 578 clinics. The statistics reveal that 38,856 women and 9,643 men were seen in the clinics, something that the organisers say is a reflection of the campaign’s concerted efforts to raise awareness about the importance of regular medical examinations as a key tool for early detection and complete recovery from breast cancer.