Terkula Igidi
9 November 2008
Wife of the executive governor of Zamfara State, Hajia Aisha Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi yesterday launched the Zamfara Well Woman Programme, a woman's health project, in Garki Hospital Abuja.
In an address, the First Lady said the programme was "especially designed for our sisters in the grassroots level of the 14 local government areas of Zamfara State. These sisters ordinarily do not have access to hospitals neither are they aware of their physical changes."
She said the event was meant to enlighten women who were ignorant of the dangers of cervical and breast cancers. "We were also specific in their selection of age because statistically, at least 70 per cent of cancer cases occur from the age 40 and above," she added.
She siad the programme had to be launched in Garki Hospital because hospitals in Zamfara State did not have the facilities needed for screening cancer. According to Hajia Shinkafi, one of the Zamfara women with a critical case of cancer died in the early hours of the morning before the programme started and three were still in beds of Garki Hospital.
She assured that they would be screened and adequately taken care of. " She said that was just the first phase of the programme as the second phase would be the establishment of a cancer centre in Zamfara State for women of all walks of life to be screened, examined and treated in a secure environment.
She called on all stake holders, the media, pharmaceutical companies, NGOs and cancer foundations to form an alliance for the cancer struggle, especially cervical and breast cancers.
Earlier, the Medical Director of Garki Hospital, Dr. Ibrahim Wada said he was delighted to host the wife of Zamfara State governor who was concerned about the well being of women in her state. He added that Garki Hospital was always ready to contribute to any programme that would improve the health of women and children.
A representative of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs. Uloma Mbanaso also said the ministry was always ready to partner with state governments and Non-Governmental Organisations involved in the fight against cervical and breast cancers. In a lecture, Dr. Marliyan Zayyan, Senior Lecturer and Gynecologist Consultant at the Ahmadu Bello Univesity Teaching Hospital, Zaria said one in 10 women in the world had breast cancer.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Daily Trust. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
