3,000 visitors empowered with life-saving awareness in Breast Cancer outreach

The cumulative effect is that Dubai women as a whole, and those aged 40-70 in particular, now have greater awareness about the risks, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, rehabilitation and aftermath of breast cancer.

Throughout the month of October, Saudi German Hospital-Dubai embarked on an energetic campaign to interact with the public and engage them on diverse aspects of breast cancer.

Among the creative ideas was an awareness kiosk at Mall of the Emirates, which attracted 2,500 visitors.

In addition, the hospital mobilized the public to attend a 'Pink Ribbon' activity to show solidarity with sufferers and survivors of breast cancer. 1,000 people registered for this event in just four days, illustrating the high level of interest and support among the public.

In a well-attended public lecture, Dr Reem Osman, CEO of Saudi German Hospital-Dubai, delivered a speech that inspired many women to transform their mindset about breast cancer. Speaking afterwards she explained, "We will strive to show women that health consciousness is not just something we should do during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but something that should be a part of everyday life."

As evidence that Dubai's population is responding very positively to cancer awareness, numerous organizations have already approached Saudi German Hospital-Dubai to partner with them in future outreach campaigns. Many corporates, organizations and women have praised the hospital staff's extremely courteous, knowledgeable and understanding approach.

Acknowledging that the first safeguard against breast cancer is early diagnosis, the hospital offered free mammograms on stipulated dates. The sophisticated diagnostic equipment has an impressive track record of detecting up to 95% of tumors that are too small to be felt by touch.

It would have taken up to two years for the women to manually detect the lumps, meaning they now have a two year head start in the fight against cancer. This has saved women from having double mastectomies in the future, and ultimately saved their lives.

Summing up the month of activities, Dr Reem Osman stated, "Not long ago, people mistakenly feared that breast cancer was a death sentence. We are helping to turn the tide, giving people renewed optimism, hope and above all, awareness - because knowledge is the best medicine. There is life after breast cancer - courtesy of the extremely skilled specialists and advanced equipment. However we will not just focus on treatment, because prevention is better than cure. All our efforts are showing Dubai women that their health is in their hands, and they should take the first step today."