Medical staff support persons with breast cancer through ‘shave your head’ campaign
Breast Cancer is in the top 10 leading causes of death in Fiji. This was highlighted by the senior medical officer, Doctor Rayvaan Singh, while he conducted ‘shave your head’ campaign with other medical staff to mark Pinktober.
Dr Rayvaan said the head shaving campaign was conducted to support those who had breast cancer.
“Our hairs will grow back but a mastectomy scar will remain forever. This way we show our love and support to the fighters and the fallen,” he said.
He pointed out that most of the times when patients visit the hospital was last minute as they were already very sick.
“Early identification is crucial and it can save lives. It’s recommended that women perform self-breast examinations on themselves every time they shower,” Dr Rayvaan said.
“If they identify a lump or feel pain in their breasts they should get it checked at their nearest health centre or hospital.”
He said the reason his department did this campaign was to educate the community about breast cancer so they could spread the word to their daughters, wives and mothers.
“This was our way to create awareness,” he added.
“Not only women have breast cancer, men do too with a prevalence of one percent.”
Dr Rayvaan said all they could do was to show empathy to those who are diagnosed with breast cancer and any other type of malignancy.
“We can never know how it feels to live with it and go through all the painful chemotherapy and exhausting side-effects that come with it,” he said.
“Education and awareness is crucial in the fight against great cancer.”
Staff who shaved their heads:
■Dr Rayvan Singh (Senior Medical Officer)
■RN Bioin Kumar (Registered Nurse)
■Major Ilisioni Rabeti (Registered