MUNTINLUPA To give FREE BREAST CANCER Early DETECTION TESTS

BELIEVING that prevention is better than cure, muntinlupa City is helping Filipinas to carry the heavy burden of breast cancer as it provides them with free access to early detection tests.

The local government unit (LGU) has entered into a memorandum of agreement (moa) with the medical Center muntinlupa (mcm), Inc., to give pro bono breast ultrasound and mammography tests to determine early the breast cancer among muntinlupeños.

“We definitely welcome this development as this enables the city government to address the problem of breast cancer head-on,” mayor Ruffy Biazon said. “By early detection, we hope to save many families from the heartbreak of losing mothers and women family members to an otherwise preventable disease.”

Per the moa, the muntinlupa government will cover the cost of the tests of patients and target beneficiaries identified by the Kalingang munti Action Center (KMAC) and verified by the gender and Development (GAD) office through their respective processes.

The Sangguniang Panlungsod gave the legal basis for the deal, recently approving Resolution 2023-238 allowing the local chief executive to represent the LGU for the signed agreement. mcm was represented by Chairman of the Board Ning I. Singh md, and management consultant Uriel S. halum md.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimated that one out of 13 Filipinas have the tendency to develop breast cancer in their lifetime, making them significantly under high risk.

Similarly, the global Cancer Report, which surveyed 15 Asian countries, found that the Philippines has the highest breast cancer death rate among its counterparts.

Countless studies and expert recommendations have shown that higher survival rates are possible through early detection tests such as breast ultrasound and mammography.

But these procedures are prohibitively unaffordable or low-income countries, making access to these tests highly significant to any tactic aimed at tackling the problem of breast cancer.

“We believe [that by making these tests more accessible,] we can change that,” Biazon stressed.