MUZAFFARABAD, 16 Aug (APP): First Lady Begum Samina Alvi on Wednesday stressed upon the need of creating widespread awareness in the society about the early diagnosis and elimination of false perceptions about the breast cancer by encouraging the womenfolk to seek timely remedy.
She said half of the population of the country comprised of women and a female out of eight could be at risk of developing this disease.
The first lady was addressing a seminar about the breast cancer, disabilities, and mental health issues at Azad Kashmir Medical College, a press release said.
Begum Alvi stressed that womenfolk should realize the perils of the disease and take proper care for their health, adding that recovery from the disease was 95-98 percent worldwide, but in Pakistan, the figure hovered around 45 percent due to late analysis and screening.
She also urged the students of the college to spread the message in their milieu, underlining that there was need to change the narrative about the people with disabilities.
There was need to change the social attitude towards the people with disabilities which would help in efforts to utilize the potential of these people, she added.
The first lady further observed that the special children required education under a well devised plan in accordance with their needs and stressed that efforts to provide latest education and training to the special children should be expedited.
Appropriate steps should be taken for making them self-reliant and enabling them to earn their livelihood, she further opined.
Begum Alvi said that they should be provided jobs on the basis of allocated quota.
About the mental health issues, she reiterated that they had been collectively striving to find out solutions and in this connection, she thanked the lady health workers who had been working devotedly to address these issues.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary Health AJK Major General Zaheer Akhtar said that people in the area lacked awareness about the breast cancer.
He said a cancer hospital with the support of the federal government would be constructed in Muzaffarabad so that affordable and better medical treatment facilities could be provided to the people.
He highlighted the efforts to further step up awareness among masses.
Principal Dr Mulazim Hussain Bukhari, in his remarks, said that the students of the institute were running awareness campaign about the breast cancer, mental health and special persons.
WHO Special Representative Mariyam Malik, Professor Dr Naheed Akhtar, Dr Farzana Sabir and Colonel Mubasheera Shah, also briefed the participants about the issues.
