Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan’s First Lady, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, has stressed united action, involving government institutions, health professionals, media, and communities, to raise awareness in combating breast cancer.
Breast cancer is now the most common cancer among women in Pakistan and the highest in prevalence in Asia.
Aseefa Bhutto made these remarks as she met with Omer Aftab, who is Founder and Honorary CEO of Pink Ribbon Pakistan. The meeting took place at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
Highlighting that one in every nine Pakistani women is at risk, the First Lady warned that delayed detection claims thousands of lives annually.
She noted that survival rates exceed 90 percent when the disease is diagnosed early and stressed that “every woman, regardless of where she lives, must have access to timely screening, diagnosis, and treatment.”
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She also put emphasis on making women’s health a national policy priority, with focused efforts on prevention, early detection, and treatment, adding that breast cancer facilities must be expanded to underserved rural areas.
Addressing the cultural aspect of seeking medical help in breast cancer cases, she acknowledged that cultural taboos delay consultations, adding mobile mammography units, community outreach, and male family involvement to overcome stigma need to be advocated for.
The First Lady urged all stakeholders to spearhead a nationwide awareness drive, encouraging early detection and timely medical intervention.
She commended the effort of Pink Ribbon Pakistan for awareness and screening initiatives, and for establishing the country’s first dedicated Breast Cancer Hospital.
Sohail Majeed
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
