The objective of this campaign is to detect all forms of breast and uterine cancer, early, in order to avoid the development of metastases.
The “Pink October” campaign is in full swing in Béjaïa. To raise awareness, inform and encourage women to be screened for breast and uterine cancer, initiatives have been taken since the beginning of the month through the health structures of the wilaya. It is in this context that the local public health establishment of Sid Ali Labhar, the large district on the eastern outskirts of the city of Béjaïa, has been welcoming women for three days to be screened voluntarily. This lady who had just dropped off her two children at the primary school next to the treatment room is moving slowly. “I heard about this campaign so I decided to take advantage of it all the more since I never consulted about it,” she tells us in a low voice that shows her apprehension. At the entrance, a nurse welcomes this forty-something and engages directly with her in discussion, a way of reassuring her. In the waiting room, a dozen other women, young and old, patiently wait their turn. “The objective of this campaign is to detect the disease early in order to avoid the development of metastases”, explains the medical staff mobilized for this purpose. Screening for breast cancer is done via a screening mammogram, in other words an x-ray of the breasts. But before, the practitioners do not omit to recall the good gestures, in particular the palpation. A gesture that can be done even at home and on a daily basis. But the medical examination can detect very small tumors long before they are palpable or show other symptoms. “Screening mammography is recommended every two years from the age of 26 and in our country this examination is free throughout the year in the various health establishments”, explains the head of service. This disease is the leading cause of death in women. About 80% of breast cancers are diagnosed after the age of 50, says a practitioner from the Sidi Aich region. For the latter, “the early diagnosis of cancer promotes effective treatment and increases the patient’s chances of recovery”. The wilaya of B&jaïa records, annually, hundreds of positive cancer cases with a predominance of breast cancer. As part of this campaign, awareness and information meetings on nutrition and dietetics are also planned. It is a question of informing the fairer sex on the best ways to feed themselves and their offspring for a healthy and above all strong body to protect themselves from the various possible diseases. The health directorate of the wilaya of Béjaïa regularly organizes screening campaigns for the benefit of women living in rural areas, such as Akfadou, Chemini, Kendira and Féraoune. An ambulance with a multidisciplinary team, made up of a general practitioner, an oncologist, a psychologist, a radiologist and a midwife, criss-crosses different areas of the wilaya to screen for breast and cervix in rural women. As a result, these women are spared costly travel. This campaign will continue almost everywhere until the end of the month, indicates the person in charge of the DSP who recalls that the women can be screened throughout the year and that for free.