The Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA) has disclosed plans to extend free breast cancer screening to 500 barracks women in 2025.
The president of DEPOWA Mrs Oghogho Musa made the pledge during DEPOWA Breast Cancer Awareness campaign on Saturday in Abuja in commemoration of the 2024 Breat Cancer Awareness Campaign.
She said the association would not only take the women for screening but would also provide help for those already confirmed positive.
“This year we are looking at screening over 500 free and for those that are already affected, we are also providing financial help to them to enable them get their treatment, medication and their overall wellbeing.
“Today, we gather to honor survivors, remember loved ones lost, and reaffirm our dedication to eradicating breast cancer. Breast cancer affects one in eight women worldwide.
“It is a harsh reality that crushes families, friends, and communities but we are not just statistics, we are stories of hope, courage, and resilience” she said.
She continued “In 2022, the World Health Organisation reported that 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 617,000 died from the disease.
“This equates to a woman being diagnosed every two minutes with breast cancer and dying every 50 seconds from the same disease,” she said.
Mrs Musa said that the reality had highlighted the burden of the dreaded disease hence, the need to create more awareness as part of activities in October being the Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
She said there was need to break the silence, encourage conversations and support research around breast cancer.
The wife of the vice president, Hajiya Nana-Aisha Shettima, who was represented by the director general, Mariam Babangida Women Development Centre, Dr Asabe Bashir, said that breast cancer had remained the greatest challenge threatening the lives of women.
Mrs Shettima said that cancer often finds the breast a very convenient place to stay, stressing the need for constant awareness among women.
She said efforts by DEPOWA was not only commendable, but also a very inspiring example for other organisations to emulate.
“As we all know, the Campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness, which began in 1985 as a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the Pharmaceutical Division of Imperial Chemical Industries, is marked every year in October.
“Hence, every October is now known as Pink October.
“Over the years, these campaigns about breast cancer, which is currently the second most commonly diagnosed cancer globally, have successfully raised awareness about the importance of prevention and routine screening for early detection.
“I commend DEPOWA for striving towards contributing to the success of this global campaign to increase awareness among men and women.
“I urge each and every one of us to: Create awareness and share information about the risk factors associated with breast cancer to promote screening, encourage regular mammograms for early detection and provide resources and share information about available care services and support networks,” she said.
Earlier, Dr Juliet Ango, a Public Health Physician, in her lecture said individuals with positive family history of breast cancer were at higher risk of the disease.
