This pebble has an important message to UAE women

It is said that big things often have small beginnings and this is also true in the case of potentially life-threatening diseases such as breast cancer.
In many cases, some small or invisible lumps go unnoticed only to be found later when the damage is already done. To avoid such situations, Medcare has initiated a discreet breast cancer awareness campaign, using a small component that had a big impact.
As part of the effort, a pebble was placed inside the shoes of women who went for prayers and attended religious education sessions. On returning, they felt a lump inside their shoes, and were compelled to examine the small stone that gave them a simple yet powerful message 'Some Lumps are Not Visible, Breast Check Tips at 800 Medcare'.
The aim is to encourage women to discuss and proactively go for breast examinations without hesitation.
The first phase of the intervention was rolled out across various locations in Dubai, including Barsha, JLT and Discovery Gardens.
"Women do not proactively seek guidance for screening processes such as mammography, because there is a gap in communication within families, and in most cases there is a taboo on the discussion of the subject openly. Even if an awareness message is sent out, people are passive recipients of the information, since there is no clear course of action prescribed for the women to act upon. Thus many women come to us for a diagnosis at a late stage of breast cancer," said Dr. Muna Obaid Hasan, Specialist Breast Surgeon, Medcare Woman & Children Hospital.
Through the 800Medcare helpline, the hospital is empowering women to make a simple phone call that could lead to early diagnosis and prevention of breast cancer. Breast cancer education campaigns need to address sociocultural norms, moral values, and misconceptions, while delivering culturally sensitive information about the disease.
"Our aim was to introduce a culture-based intervention that takes care of the sensitivities surrounding a subject like clinical breast examination. Post implementation of the first phase of the activity, we received numerous phone calls from women across UAE enquiring about breast cancer checks, further strengthening our resolve to continue such initiatives," stated Samah Aziz, Assistant General Manager and Marketing and Business Development Manager at Medcare Hospital.
- saman@khaleejtimes.com