Dubai Business Women Council holds Breast Awareness Campaign

Business Women Council joins fight against Breast Cancer.

The Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC) today announced the launch of an awareness campaign to educate female businesswomen, employees and customers about breast health and the importance of early-detection strategies in the fight against breast cancer at a luncheon inaugural at the Hotel Crowne Plaza, Dubai.

Along with DBWC, Citigroup is among other organizations participating in an innovative, international partnership with the governments of U.A.E., the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United States and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Johns Hopkins Medicine International, and The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center to work collectively in the area of awareness, research, training, community outreach, and women's empowerment.

Specifically, Citigroup and DBWC are offering breast cancer informational sessions to female employees as well as to businesswomen; posting fact sheets on risks, symptoms, and breast health strategies; offering employees onsite private breast screenings with health professionals; and disseminating breast cancer awareness information to customers through inserts in bills and account statements.

In her welcoming speech Mrs. Raja Al Gurg, President of the Dubai Business Women Council said that worldwide, breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women. An estimated 4.4 million women are alive today in whom breast cancer was diagnosed within the last 15 years. According to data compiled by GLOBOCAN 2002, in U.A.E., 179 women have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and 77 have died from the disease.

But, thanks to ongoing developments in research and screening techniques, breast cancer patients have more than a 95 percent survival rate if the disease is caught early, underscoring the importance of awareness, education, and early detection.

"Healthy life and healthy mind is needed to run a healthy business. Since the month of October is marked as "PINK OCTOBER," a month is dedicated to the awareness of Breast Cancer. DBWC is pleased to participate in this awareness campaign. This meeting has been a wonderful mix of social service, technology and humanitarian concern. We hope to turn such events into a regular feature of our programs so that social issues can be addressed for the maximum impact and most effective solutions," she added. She concluded by emphasizing that the safest and most effective method to beat breast cancer is to have regular check-ups after one crosses a certain age.

The keynote of the campaign was struck by H.E. Dr Ali Ahmed Bin Shakar, Undersecretary, Ministry Of Health, who extended greetings to the gathering on behalf His Excellency the Minister of Health Mr. Hamid Mohammed Al Quttami. He praised the efforts of women in caring for society. He said this campaign was held in accordance with the instructions of Sheika Fatima Bint Mubarak on the initiative of the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the US-Middle East initiative to combat breast cancer, the DBWC, private sector and Abu Dhabi Healthcare Authority, among other agencies.

"Just being together at this event is an achievement for us, as breast cancer is the second major cause of death after heart disease," he said. He revealed a new five-year strategy to combat and cure this disease. Priority will be given to spread awareness of breast cancer especially through program for women by using the printed and electronic media, training special medical executives in the UAE to conduct checks as a matter of routine, and bringing forward exact figures on the disease in the country. "Support will be given to hospitals, healthcare centers will be provided equipment and proper statistics will be maintained and updated so that we can know the number of specific cases of breast cancer," he noted.

Said Ms. Karen Hughes, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State, one of the distinguished guests at the meet: "This first region-wide health initiative for women in the Middle East is an unprecedented partnership supported by government and private groups from both America and the UAE and we hope this model of
cooperation cascades across the region."

"We recognize the vital role that women play in our families and in our communities," said Mohammed Al-Shroogi, Citigroup Country Officer. "By taking a proactive role in raising awareness of breast cancer among our employees and customers, we are empowering women to detect the early warning signs and take appropriate actions to confront the disease head on."