SCAN, SBCSG hold breast health screening at Kg Bunan Gega
SERIAN: Society for Cancer Advocacy and Awareness Kuching (SCAN) together with Sarawak Breast Cancer Support Group (SBCSG) recently carried out a breast health screening outreach programme at Kampung Bunan Gega here.
More than 20 women came to the village community hall last Saturday to undergo screening which was carried out by trained nurses from SBCSG, said SCAN in a press statement.
The outreach programme also saw Dr Sharifah Ashrina Wan Ali from Sarawak General Hospital deliver a talk on breast cancer and breast care, while SCAN founding member Dr Melissa Lim distributed brochures illustrating the various breast anomalies that could signal the presence of cancerous tumours.
SBCSG president Datin Juriah Sulehan, meanwhile, educated the women in Bahasa Sarawak using a breast cancer demo set made of silicon.
Using a mobile handheld scanner donated recently by the Church of Latter Day Saints, the women were able to experience having their breasts checked properly.
“Out of the 23 Bidayuh women screened, none were found with breast abnormalities,” said SCAN.
At the same event, SCAN led by its vice-president Dr Fitri Suraya and researchers from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak conducted interviews with the local women to find out about their levels of awareness of cancer, as well as the perception of cancer from their indigenous cultural perspectives.
“This is the fourth and last site for the study, and outcomes from the study will be used to inform others about cancer and how people can live cancerfree lifestyles within their own environment and communities.
“This study will also provide important data for us to understand the influence of culture and belief among the rural populations of Sarawak, and how these factors impact their perception and acceptance of cancer diagnosis, particularly breast cancer which is the highest in both Sarawak and Malaysia,” said SCAN.
It added the outreach programme was an important event that enabled members of the two non-governmental organisations to speak with the public about cancer and how they could take steps to live a cancerfree life.
“To date, more than 1,800 women from 35 different locations throughout Sarawak have been screened under this outreach programme,” added SCAN.
To learn more about SCAN, visit www.scan.org.my or its Facebook page.