ISLAMABAD: Every year, around 100,000 women in Pakistan are diagnosed with breast cancer and the only solution to prevent this disease is timely diagnosis, First Lady Samina Alvi said on Tuesday.

She was speaking at a breast cancer awareness event held at Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG).

Every 13 minutes, a woman in Pakistan is diagnosed with breast cancer with an alarming 45pc mortality rate, she said, adding that 90pc of these patients could recover from the disease with the help of early screening and diagnosis.

Raising awareness among women about self diagnosis could save thousands of precious lives, she said, adding that not only does the patient suffer but her family members suffer too as they have to bear the financial burden of the expensive treatment.

Begum Alvi expressed satisfaction that her awareness drive about breast cancer was going on successfully across the country and urged women to spread the word to at least 10 women in their circle.

She also urged male members of the family to realise the suffering attached with the disease and support women so they could get proper medical care.

Women in the country are playing a vital role in all fields of life and it was important to be concerned about their well-being, the first lady said, lauding media’s role in spreading the word on breast cancer through special television programmes and news stories.

Earlier, IMCG Principal Aliya Durrani gave an outline of the activities of the college and emphasised upon the significance of raising awareness among female students on important issues including breast cancer.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2022