Sebeccly Intensifies Fight Against Cancer
Offers 4,000 Women Free Breast And Cervical Screening
INa bid to up their commitment to creating awareness of cancer in women, Sebeccly Cancer Care has launched
#Timetoscreen2018, a community outreach and Free Friday Clinics (FFC), which has been set up to reach and bring women from all parts of the country for free breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment.
This development according to the Executive Director of the centre, Omolola Salako, is in conjunction with the recently launched National Cancer Control Plan, where in the next five years, the Federal Ministry of Health would have provided screening to 70 per cent of all eligible women in the country, and as a community organization, Sebeccly through this noble initiative, is contributing its quota to this plan.
Salako said the Timetoscreen2018 is a movement that has been set up to ensure that women in very hard to reach areas, who do not have access to cancer screening services get enlightened and screened.
“When women come down with illness, especially cancer, the family, society and the nation at large suffer. Sebeccly is all about empowering and treating Cancer patients and also reducing the cervical cancer burden in Nigeria. Cervical cancer remains a preventable disease; no woman should have it, talk less of dying from it. Nigeria unfortunately records 10,000 new cases of cervical cancer per annum, of which 7,000 women die from the disease. By setting a screening time, it ensures we reach and engage women at the community level. If we detect any abnormality during the screening, we also give treatments to patients,” she said.
Salako went on to add that cervical cancer is caused by a sexually transmitted virus, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), and it takes up to 20 to 30 years before the cancer manifests. On prevention, she said young girls between the ages of nine and 13 should be vaccinated and women should practice a safe sexual lifestyle. Olaitan Joy, one of the beneficiaries of the free screening, said it is very important for every woman to shun shyness and get herself screened for breast and cervical can- cer.
Sebeccly says it intends to screen over 12,000 women in Nigeria in the next two years.