IHHN Marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month With Awareness Sessions and Midwifery Training

October marks the official month for breast cancer awareness. In 2020, there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 685,000 deaths globally. In Asia, Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer. One in nine women in Pakistan experience breast cancer at some stage of their lives.

To show the importance of raising awareness, the Midwifery team at the Community Health Directorate of IHHN organized awareness sessions at all IHHN Primary Care sites. These sessions focused on teaching the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and ways of prevention, including how to perform a self-breast exam, how to access proper screening, and the importance of mammograms. Midwives spoke about how one should conduct a yearly breast examination because early detection can save lives. They also spoke about how there is a taboo surrounding discussing this issue.

“There is a stigma that is preventing women from getting the prevention and treatment of this disease. We need to normalize talking about breast diseases so that no one faces breast cancer alone,” says Midwifery Supervisor, Al Mushtaq Memorial Clinic Gurmani.

In addition to the awareness sessions, IHHN also held a midwifery training at the Bhong School of Midwifery, which covered labour care guides and breast cancer to make sure no woman goes through breast cancer alone. The training focused on how to control breast cancer, preventive measures, and how to treat and counsel patients.