The wife of the former Governor of Oyo State, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, says early detection of breast cancer remains the hallmark in getting cured and surviving the deadly disease.
Ajimobi spoke on Friday in Ibadan at a walk which was part of a programme launched by her charity organisation, Access to Basic Medical Care (ABC).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the campaign, which was launched with the support of BOVAS Foundation, coincides with the global October Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
According to Ajimobi, ABC is targeting more than 2000 women for free breast cancer screening in October.
“Breast cancer is the most common killer disease in women.
“This is why we want women to be aware of what breast cancer is and the only way they can be aware is to go for screening regularly.
” We embarked on this walk so we can raise awareness on the importance of ‘screening’.
“Early detection can keep you alive and we are saying enough is enough to breast cancer in our society.
“We want people to know their status, we want them to know they can check themselves for symptoms.
“In ABC Medical Foundation, we are screening over 2000 people in this month of October and it’s going to be free.
“We are calling on our women to come out and take advantage of this opportunity.
“The essence of this walk is to save the lives of our women in Oyo State and in Nigeria, ” she said.
She further appealed to women from all walks of life to go for regular breast cancer screening.
Dr Tobi Lawrence, the Resident Radiologist at ABC Foundation, said that breast and cervical cancers were the commonest cancers in Nigerian women.
She added that one in eight women was likely to develop breast cancer in her lifetime.
“Early detection is the key to reducing breast cancer scourge and the way we can detect breast cancer early is through regular screening.
“Certain individuals who have a higher risk of breast cancer, due to family history, should consult a physician about how often to be screened,” she said.
NAN reports that the global health body, WHO, says that breast cancer impacts 2.1 million women each year and causes the greatest number of cancer-related deaths among women.
