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ISLAMABAD:

 To mark October as ‘Pinktober’ — the breast cancer awareness month — Pink Ribbon on Wednesday launched a nationwide breast cancer awareness drive besides initiating fundraising campaign for building Pakistan’s first dedicated breast cancer hospital.

 October is celebrated as the international month of breast cancer awareness worldwide. Every Year, nearly 40,000 women die in Pakistan due to breast cancer. Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer in Asia.

One in every nine women in Pakistan is at high risk of this disease. With early detection, chances of surviving this type of cancer are more than 90 per cent. The treatment facilities in Pakistan are not adequate.

 In October, Pink Ribbon is not only going to spread awareness among young female students through information material in collaboration with HEC, but also organise various events to sensitize women and girls at the community level through direct interaction. Furthermore, Pinktober 2014 will be running different activations throughout October to increase maximum awareness and survivorship care to build a strong network of prevention and hope. The campaign, which aims at reaching out to over 100,000 young girls for breast cancer awareness only during October, was launched at a special event at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) headquarter. The event was attended by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pink Ribbon Omer Aftab, HEC Executive Director Prof. Mansoor Akbar Kund, Breast Cancer Survivor Dr. Maria Catalina Alliende and representatives of civil society and media.

 Addressing the ceremony, Omer Aftab said that every year more than 40,000 women die of breast cancer in Pakistan, thus there is a need that we pay special focus to prevent this disease. He highlighted that due to Pink Ribbon’s intensive awareness work over the years awareness about the disease has raised significantly and a demand for breast cancer services has emerged. He added that to cater the needs, Pink Ribbon is launching Pakistan’s first dedicated breast cancer hospital.

 “We need ever more support to build this hospital to ensure that none of us will have to bear the horror of losing a mother, a sister, a wife or a daughter,” he said. Professor Mansoor Akbar Kund reiterated HEC’s support for Pink Ribbon. He mentioned that during last three years of HEC’s strategic partnership with Pink Ribbon, over 352,000 girls through more than 100 colleges and universities have been reached in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi. He added that the activation will be held nationwide this October also.

 Natasha Hyder, speaking on behalf of Colgate-Palmolive Pakistan, said that we are delighted to be partnering with Pink Ribbon Pakistan, the premier breast cancer awareness NGO in the country.