ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Pink Ribbon have signed a memorandum of understanding, pledging to raise awareness of breast cancer by directly approaching female students in all colleges and universities.

The agreement was signed by HEC Executive Director Dr Arshad Ali and Pink Ribbon Chief Executive Officer Omer Aftab at the commission secretariat, according to an HEC statement.

It says breast cancer claims more than 40,000 lives every year in Pakistan and that one in nine Pakistani women are at high risk of developing breast cancer.

The statement says the partnership between the HEC and Pink Ribbon will continue and that the agreement includes promoting research projects on different aspects of breast cancer, organising seminars and workshops, forming a group for need assessment and formulating a five-year action plan.

The HEC and Pink Ribbon have together coached more than a million female students across the country on breast cancer hazards and challenges in the last five years under the Pink Ribbon Youth Programme.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2018