Leading pharmaceutical company, Ferozsons Laboratories Limited, organized nationwide awareness walks and illuminated the company’s headquarters in pink to commemorate Pinktober as part of its “Let’s Embattle Together” initiative against cancer.
Pakistan has the highest prevalence percentage in Asia. With the disease burden increasing every year, breast cancer poses a very serious public health threat. Yet, not many Pakistanis are aware of the commonality of the disease and therefore thousands remain undiagnosed.
An event was organized on Monday to kick-off the awareness initiatives. Dr. Sohail Saqlain, Member Health , Nutrition and Emergency Services of the Planning and Development Board , government of the Punjab, kicked off the event as chief guest and said that “The alarming rise in breast cancer cases should be a topic of discussion not just in October but all year round. The government is committed to raising awareness and a robust strategy to test and treat breast cancer is in place. You will see a marked increase in awareness activities by the health department this year.”
Speaking at an employee awareness session held at Ferozsons Laboratories Limited, Prof. Sohail Murad a leading oncologist, stressed that women of age bracket 40 and above should go for a mammogram at least once in two years and younger women are advised to educate themselves about the disease and learn how to self-examine for early detection. On the occasion, renowned radiologist
Prof. Asima Sohail stated that 1 in 9 women in Pakistan is at risk of getting diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime; and according to the latest demographic trends, the number is expected to grow with time. “Early detection is the key to curbing breast cancer”, she added.
Ferozsons Laboratories Limited CEO Osman Khalid Waheed said, “Breast cancer impacts too many women and their families in Pakistan, only because they are diagnosed in the late stages. This October our teams will be working with Oncologists and the medical community to carry out nationwide activities to raise awareness on the ground level. Early detection is the only way to save thousands of precious lives and combat breast cancer effectively.”
