First Lady Begum Samina Arif Alvi has emphasised on raising awareness about the early detection of breast cancer among women, especially those who live in the far-flung areas of the country.

She was chairing a meeting of the national and international organizations working in Pakistan for the prevention and cure of breast cancer in Islamabad on Monday.

The First Lady called upon the media, national and international organizations working in Pakistan to make concerted efforts in this respect.

Begum Samina Arif Alvi said she has been leading the breast cancer awareness campaign for the last four years which had started yielding results as the number of women availing diagnosis services had increased significantly.

She said communities should be involved to create awareness about the early detection of the disease and screening facilities should also be extended to the maximum areas.

The First Lady urged the participants to chalk out a comprehensive plan for the entire year to sensitize women about the disease.

It was informed in the meeting that thousands of women were losing their lives to breast cancer every year due to the lack of awareness about its symptoms and late diagnosis.

It was further highlighted that the chances of survival were quite high if a patient with breast cancer was diagnosed in the initial stages.

Representatives of organizations and NGOs briefed the First Lady about their activities with regard to the awareness campaign and treatment of the disease.

Source: Radio Pakistan