Muntinlupa provides free early detection tests for breast cancer
Under the MoA, the city government will shoulder the cost of the tests of patients and target beneficiaries identified by its Kalingang Munti Action Center and verified by the Gender and Development Office
The Muntinlupa city government inked on 22 May a memorandum of agreement with the Medical Center Muntinlupa Inc. to provide free breast ultrasound as well as mammography tests to aid in the early detection of 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.“
Under the MoA, the city government will shoulder the cost of the tests of patients and target beneficiaries identified by its Kalingang Munti Action Center and verified by the Gender and Development Office through their respective processes.
The city's Sangguniang Panlungsod provided the legal basis for the MoA, recently approving Resolution 2023-238 that allowed Biazon to represent the city government in the signed agreement. The MCM was represented by board chairman Ning I. Singh and management consultant Uriel S. Halum.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, one out of 13 Filipina women are more likely to develop breast cancer in their lifetime, making them significantly under high risk. Similarly, the Global Cancer Report, which surveyed 15 Asian countries, showed that the Philippines has the highest breast cancer mortality rate among its counterparts.
Studies and expert recommendations have shown that higher survival rates are possible through early detection tests such as breast ultrasound and mammography. However, these procedures are prohibitively expensive for lowincome countries, making access to these tests highly critical for any strategy aiming to tackle the problem of breast cancer.
"We believe (by making these tests more accessible), we can change that," Biazon said.