Free mammography

A R20-million modern mammography machine—to be offered to Manila residents for free starting this month—was recently installed at the Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital (JJASGH) in Binondo. Mammography is a specific type of breast imaging that uses low-dose X-rays to detect cancer early – before women experience symptoms and when it is most treatable, JJASGH director Dr. Merle Sacdalan-Faustino said. Faustino said one session with a mammography machine in private hospitals usually costs around R3,000 while at JJASGH it will be provided free to Manileños. Health officials said one in every three Filipinas is at risk of acquiring breast cancer, described as the leading killer worldwide of women aged 35 to 54. Philippine Breast Cancer Network said that almost R500,000 die from the disease every year and that one out of 13 Filipino women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. (Jaimie Rose R. Aberia)