Breast Cancer Campaigns in the UAE  - Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain, Sharjah

Upcoming Events - Abu Dhabi Medical Congress 2008

26-27 October 2008 Breast Cancer Conference - Abu Dhabi, UAE
Topic:       Current Concepts in Modern Breast Healthcare

March 31, 2008   Women given free annual breast cancer screening

March 05, 2008 Abu Dhabi National Breast Screening Centre

January 29, 2008 Tawam Hospital launches  mobile mammography screening

October 09, 2007 Pink Bus to spread breast cancer awareness in UAE

October 23, 2007 Laura Bush meets UAE breast cancer survivors

October 24, 2007 The "Shame" of Breast Cancer in the Middle East

November 16, 2007 Dubai breaks Guinness record for world's largest ribbon

October 02, 2006, National Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign

October 31, 2006 U.S.-U.A.E. Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness

November 01, 2006 Breast Cancer Awareness Event - Dubai Business Women’s Council

For the first time in the UAE, women aged 35 and above will get insurance coverage for an annual breast cancer screening programme.

Starting on Tuesday, women will be covered by the National Health Insurance Company (Daman) and are entitled to receive annual clinical examination, radiology and laboratory investigations for breast cancer with healthcare providers selected by the company.

"We hope that by including free screening in our plans, women will be encouraged to take the test, thus decreasing the spread of such a disease," said Dr Michael Bitzer, CEO, Daman.

According to statistics released by the Ministry of Health between 1998 and 2002, there were 140 breast cancer cases in the UAE, making it the second biggest cancer killer in the UAE, accounting for 22.8 per cent of the total number of diagnosed cancer cases.

National Breast Screening Centre

The UAE national screening programme provides Breast Cancer Mammography Centres free of charge at:
    Abu Dhabi 02-6311172 / 02-6215525
    Dubai 04-2721670
    Al Ain 03-7627777
    Sharjah 06-5245477
    Umm Al Quwain 06-7655886

Tawam Hospital, in affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine, today launched the first mobile mammography screening unit of its kind in the UAE, during an unveiling ceremony at the Arab Health exhibition in the Dubai International Exhibition Centre.

The all female operated mobile service is totally self-contained benefiting from high-end, cutting edge digital technology. Images can be transmitted to the Tawam hospital for instant diagnosis. If lesions are suspected, further analysis can be carried out and a decision on whether treatment is required can be made within hours.

A Pink Bus for breast cancer awareness sets out today, focusing on communities in emirates that have been largely sidelined in the UAE's previous breast cancer awareness efforts.

A combined effort by Procter and Gamble (P&G), the Ministry of Health and Welcare Group, the Pink Bus - pink is the colour for breast cancer awareness - will tour all seven emirates during October as part of the national breast cancer awareness programme. Healthcare workers on board will distribute brochures, medical information and referral phone numbers, and conduct lectures on methods of self-examination.

Bush arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday for a tour of the Middle East that will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan. She aims to raise awareness about breast cancer, and to help boost the image of the US in the region.

The First Lady attended the signing of a memorandum between the Abu Dhabi Health Authority and Dallas-based organisation to work together on a breast cancer awareness programme.

She later addressed a business gathering in Dubai, after local companies pledged to spread awareness of breast cancer.

Robin Roberts of the ABC News' morning show "Good Morning America" reported from the Middle East; the subject was breast cancer and how it affects women who are diagnosed. As most people know by now, Roberts recently had breast cancer surgery herself, and is currently under treatment. She is touring the Middle East with First Lady Laura Bush, to promote breast cancer awareness, and the importance of early detection.

In her live report from the Arab state of Abu Dhabi, Robin spoke with two women who are surviving breast cancer, and a doctor. They revealed that breast cancer is something to be ashamed of, and a big secret. Once diagnosed, they do not talk about it, and are very careful about whom they tell, or if they tell at all. Breast cancer is considered something God has given to them, and it is a shame. One of the ladies whom Robin talked with, said that her friends warned that her husband might leave her. "Men are all the same", she remarked, when commenting on the breast as a body part that is important to a woman's beauty and sexuality, and without which their husbands would no longer find them desirable. In a shocking admission, she said that other woman advised her not to let the secret out if she wanted her single daughters to marry. They told her that many men would not marry a girl whose mother had breast cancer!

Not surprisingly, hair loss has been the biggest stigma of breast cancer treatments. Middle Eastern women have always been famous for their beautiful tresses. In accordance with Islamic law, married women must cover their heads, and reveal their hair only in their own homes. While going through chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments, the resulting hair-loss is a dead giveaway that they have been "tainted" with cancer. Moreover, it makes them unappealing to their husbands. It is the fear of losing their husbands, and being shunned by the community, that causes many Middle Eastern women to keep their breast cancer a secret, thereby going through it all alone. Or, even worse, many women do not perform the important self-exams and diagnostic tests that can save lives. They suffer in silence, and endanger their lives.

Dubai became the holder of the record for the world's largest ribbon and was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Measuring 29 metres and made up of 105,000 carnations, the large pink ribbon held centre stage in Zabeel Park.

The event was organised by Dubai Healthcare city to raise awareness for Breast Cancer and was followed by a walkathon to raise funds for research to beat the disease.

The ribbon was unveiled by Dr Muhadditha Al Hashemi, CEO of Dubai Healthcare City. Dr Al Hashemi said she was thrilled to be a part of the event.

"I'm honoured and excited for Dubai Healthcare City, for Dubai, and for the UAE. Dubai has always broken records but this is the first time that we are breaking a record that has a meaning to the community. I'm very excited about that," she said after receiving the official certificate from Marco Frigatti, Head of Records at Guinness.

Hoffmann-La Roche and GE Healthcare will be offering support to the breast cancer awareness campaign in conjunction with the UAE Ministry of Health (MoH), General Authority for Health Services for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (GAHS), and the Department of Health and Medical Services, Dubai (DoHMS), in a unified effort to increase awareness on the importance of early breast cancer detection in the UAE.

A toll free line has been set up on 800 4537, to give information on locations and working hours for all the participating centres.

Commenting on the joint breast cancer campaign, Dr. Mariam Matar, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health and Primary Healthcare, MoH, said, 'We hope to reach out to women across the UAE and urge them to make the most of all the free and discounted mammography testing centres.' 'Breast cancer may be life-threatening, but statistics show that early detection increases the chances of survival by up to 98%,' she added.

Under the slogan, 'Early detection saves lives' the National Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign will have 3 main objectives: 1. Raise general public awareness surrounding breast cancer. 2. Educate women on the importance of early detection. 3. Encourage women to go for screening.

The Partnership brings together organizations from the Middle East and the United States in an effort to increase breast cancer awareness, research activities, workplace education programs and support mechanisms for women in the Middle East.

The unique international public-private partnership will unite the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Johns Hopkins Medicine International, and the U.S. Department of State's Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and the Middle East Partnership Initiative. In the U.A.E., the effort has been organized under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, who has established The Higher National Committee for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research for the purpose of advancing the Partnership's vision of conquering breast cancer and promoting breast health for women throughout the Emirates. Dr. Rawda Al-Mutawa, Executive Director of the Committee, will serve as host of the launch event in Abu Dhabi. Partners in the U.A.E. include: the Higher National Committee for Breast Cancer and Research; the Dubai Business Women's Council; and Citigroup, Inc. (Citibank U.A.E.).

The U.S. State Department’s under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, Karen Hughes, met business representatives from the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) to kick off the U.S.-U.A.E. Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research. The partnership links U.S. medical experts, fundraisers, health-research activists and businesses with counterparts in the United Arab Emirates to develop breast-cancer awareness campaigns and expand research in the Middle East. Although the incidence of breast cancer in the Middle East is lower than that in the United States and Europe, the mortality-to-incidence ratio is higher, according to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, a U.S. network of breast-cancer survivors and activists for better treatment. The foundation says that a disproportionate number of women in the Middle East die from the disease. “Breast cancer is not just a woman’s issue – it is a family issue, a workplace issue and a shared human issue,” Hughes said at the October 31 luncheon in Dubai to launch the partnership. Hughes thanked Raja Al Gurg, the president of the Dubai Business Women’s Council, for “being the first businesswoman to step forward and participate,” and she encouraged U.A.E. companies to distribute information to heighten awareness of breast cancer. Hughes said strong participation of the private sector would increase the reach of educational campaigns touting the importance of self-exams and mammograms to detect breast cancer in its early stages. Nancy Brinker, who founded the Komen Foundation 25 years ago after her sister died of breast cancer, raised breast-cancer issues publicly in the United States, which encouraged women to do self-examinations and get regular mammograms. From the early 1980s until today, the rates for breast-cancer screening among U.S. women went from 30 percent to almost 75 percent. Screening is important, because early detection improves the success rate of treatment. Today, 95 percent of U.S. women with breast cancer detected in its earliest stages are alive five years later, Hughes said. “That is a message of genuine hope for women everywhere.” The event featured a separate breast-cancer exhibit, with self-examination guides to facilitate early detection. Brinker said that she has worked with Arab-American women in the United States and Muslim women in Bosnia, Turkey, Egypt, the Palestinian territories and Pakistan to teach the importance of self-exams and mammograms. “What works for urban women may not work for rural women, and what works in the United States may not be right for the U.A.E.,” Brinker said. “Different societies need different solutions.” She said this trip to the Middle East is one during which she will “listen.” In addition to the Dubai Business Women’s Council, which hosted the event, partners in the United Arab Emirates include the General Authority for Health Services for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Tawam Hospital (Al Ain City, Abu Dhabi), the General Women’s Union, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Citibank U.A.E. U.S. partners include the Komen Foundation, with its headquarters in Dallas; Johns Hopkins Medicine International of Baltimore; and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center of Houston.

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