Zulekha Hospital successfully provides free mammograms 10.01.2016: ...breast cancer consultations to 1.800 UAE women Caption: More than 1,800 free consultations and 763 free mammograms

...breast cancer consultations to 1.800 UAE women




Caption:    More than 1,800 free consultations and 763 free mammograms have been undertaken by Zulekha Hospital as part of its Pink It Now breast cancer awareness campaign.



First three months of the Pink It Now breast cancer initiative deliver excellent results in educating importance of regular health checks



Scores of women in the UAE have responded positively to a call from Zulekha Hospital to take responsibility for their breast cancer health in a new awareness campaign.


More than 1,800 women in the Emirates have taken advantage of a free breast cancer consultation, while 763 x-ray mammograms have been undertaken at Zulekha Hospital in Dubai and Sharjah as part of the Pink It Now campaign which was launched in October during the Breast Cancer Awareness month.


Developed exclusively by Zulekha Hospital, a pioneer in UAE healthcare, the Pink It Now initiative was supported by Ford Warriors in Pink, a Ford Motor Company breast cancer awareness initiative, and Dubai Islamic Bank.


From 1 October until 31 December, both hospitals in Dubai and Sharjah offered women the opportunity to take advantage of free specialist consultations by Zulekha Hospital oncologists and surgeons as well as receive free mammograms.


Zulekha Hospital in Sharjah carried out a total of 1,116 free consultations and 445 x-ray mammograms while the hospital in Dubai received a total of 703 women for free consultations and a total of 318 for mammograms, out of which 13 cases were diagnosed positive.


The campaign forms part of a worldwide initiative to build awareness and educate women on breast cancer and the importance of regular check-ups and early detection. The campaign also aims to empower women to beat the disease.


Dr. Pamela Munster, a professor at the Department of Medicine (Haematology/Oncology) and Director of Early Drug Development and Breast Cancer officially launched the new ‘Pink It Now’ campaign at the Conrad Hotel in October, alongside her colleague Dr. Hani Sbitany, Assistant Professor of Surgery Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery from the University of California in San Francisco.  


The event, attended by eminent doctors, cancer campaigners and breast cancer survivors also highlighted the fact that breast cancer can affect women regardless of their age, ethnicity, genetics or reproductive history.


Mr Taher Shams, Managing Director of Zulekha Hospital, said: “We are very pleased with the success of this campaign and the number of women who have come forward to utilize the opportunity of our free consultations and mammograms. We believe the key to prevention of this disease is early detection and this is what our campaign strives to do, which is to encourage women to get regular check-ups.”


- Lindsay Johnston, Total Communications Dubai - also photo