Wife of Niger State governor Dr Amina Abubakar Bello has urged women to constantly examine themselves in order to detect any onset of breast cancer and nip it in the bud.
One out of 25 women is liable to have breast cancer and one way to stop the disease is to create awareness on it.
This was one of the objectives of a free breast cancer screening programme organised in the state by Dr. Bello.
According to her, creating awareness for detection is one of the ways to prevent this growing scourge amongst women as she said that the more people are aware of this disease, the better the chances of women surviving from the disease.
Speaking at the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign organised by the Fifth Chukker Polo Country Club in Minna to mark the Breast Cancer Day which is celebrated every October, the Governor’s Wife called on women in the state to ensure regular check up to curtail the menace of breast cancer lamenting that the type of cancer experienced in the country is preventive and every woman needs to do regular check up to ascertain whether they have breast cancer or not.
She said that the awareness will cut across every part of the state as the state government is set to establish a primary healthcare center in each ward across the state to provide monthly breast cancer screening, especially to women in the rural areas.
“What Niger State is trying to do is to make sure that every ward in the state have a primary healthcare center that will provide 24 hour service including the preventive measures as well as therapeutic measures.
“To sustain it, we will begin a breast screening programme across the state through the primary healthcare centers where free breast cancer screening will be done once a month.”
Dr. Bello who is also a Fifth Chukker Breast Cancer Awareness Ambassador urged women to embrace preventive measures as cancer treatment is astronomical advising women to carry out their self examination two days before or two days after their menstruation period.
“The cost of treatment is astronomical; this is why emphasis is being laid on prevention. We have few cancer centres in the country that can deal with the treatment of cancer. Niger State is one of the states that do not have access to cancer centers. We send cancer cases outside the state. That is why we plan to increase the prevention so that the cost of treatment is reduced.”
She also advised the people to calling to do away with every misconception and minx about breast cancer and its causes adding that women need to desist from going to chemists when they notice something wrong in their breast adding that they should go to General Hospitals as chances of them being mismanaged is less there.
Delivering a lecture on breast cancer detection and prevention, Dr. Femi Olaleye of Optimal Health Care Foundation said that because cancer is a cellular tissue in the body that have forgotten to die, women must embrace early detection by doing self examination and or go for check-up.
He stressed that it is important for women to know their glands and ducts as breast cancer starts small and if it is not detected early can lead to death.
Olaleye stated the risks involved in getting cancer stating that women with family history of cancer is at a higher risk of coming down with the disease adding that lack of testing also contributes as self examination will save the life of every woman.
“Only 20 per cent of lumps in breast is cancerous. After the self examination, the mammogram is taken to know if the lumps are cancerous or not.”
He expressed sadness that women who die from breast cancer would not have died if there was early detection adding that breast cancer campaign should not be done every october but it should be a daily campaign.
In her address, the Director of Business Development, Fifth Chukker Polo Country Club, Kaduna, Terri Brennan stated that awareness and education is the key tp early detection adding that everyone needs to be an ambassador of breast cancer to raise awareness of the scourge every day.
She said that the discussion about breast cancer should not only be limited to women alone adding that it should be a topic that is not hidden and people should be comfortable to discuss it.
During the programme, there was question and answer session where Doctor Olaleye and the governor’s wife proffered answers to those who asked questions; the women were also taught to self examine themselves before experts examined them.
About 300 women were screened for breast cancer during the programme.