Get Guardian on GoogleThe National Association of Seadogs, also known as the Pyrates Confraternity, Ash Montana Deck, in collaboration with Women Aid Africa, has provided free breast cancer screening for over 200 women in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The women also underwent clinical breast examinations and received counselling on breast cancer awareness and general health issues at Kugba Primary Healthcare Center, Abeokuta, yesterday.
The Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O) of Women Aid Africa, Bukola Konkwo, said that programme was designed to educate women on breast cancer, regular self-examination of the breast and the need to seek immediate medical attention whenever they notice unusual lumps or changes in their breasts.
Knokwo, who said that she was a survivor of breast cancer and have marked 10 years of her diagnosis, emphasized the need for early detection, saying that such detection remained crucial to saving lives and reducing the impact of the disease.
She urged the beneficiaries not allow financial constraints, busy schedules or other domestic responsibilities to prevent them from taking care of their health, stressing that women must prioritise regular health checks and take advantage of free screening opportunities whenever they arise.
“Early detection saves lives. It is only when you are alive that you can attend to other responsibilities. Health is wealth, and women must always put their health first,” the CEO said.
Also Speaking, the Second Mate, Ash Montana Deck, Dr. Hafiz Bello, said that the association partnered Women Aid Africa on the programme to bring affordable healthcare services closer to underprivileged women who might be unable to afford hospital visits for medical examinations.
Bello said that the beneficiaries who show signs of possible cancer would be referred to appropriate healthcare facilities for further medical evaluation, while the association would work with the government and other relevant health authorities to facilitate their access to care.
“One of the challenges we have in the country is that people cannot even afford to even take themselves to the hospital. And that is why the National Association of Seadogs keyed into this project, bringing it to a kind of environment where you have the less privileged.
“We are planning on doing a referral link to women who may have been detected to having traces of cancer. So, some of
them, we will assist to go the hospital and continue to monitor them with data. one thing is that the test is expensive and that is why we are plan on working with the government on this” he noted.
The representative of Urban Community Transformation and Empowerment, Olayemi Boluwatife called on the federal and state governments to increase support for breast cancer awareness programmes to reduce the prevalence of the disease in communities.
Boluwatife said the organisation supported the initiative because it was designed to educate women about the disease, encourage early detection and promote better health-seeking behaviour amid growing concerns of breast cancer and its impact on women in Nigeria.
One of the beneficiaries, Temitayo Akinwunmi, said that that the experience was not painful, adding that the medical personnel attended to them well and scanned their breasts to check any signs of breast cancer.
