By Lim Yan Liang, The Straits Times, 2 Oct 2012
MEN and low-income women are the new target audience of the Breast Cancer Foundation (BCF) in its ongoing campaign against the top killer cancer of Singapore women.
At yesterday evening's launch of Breast Cancer Awareness Month at its headquarters in Dunearn Road, BCF president Noor Quek announced that the organisation had set aside $300,000 to help lower-income women pay for breast cancer screenings.
It was also BCF's 15th anniversary.
The funds will be disbursed from next January, said Mrs Quek, adding that half the sum will go to women going for the screening for the first time.
Under the national subsidised screening programme, BreastScreen Singapore, citizens pay $50 for mammography at most polyclinics.
"It is a BCF gesture, in our 15th anniversary, to answer the call of the health-care givers, who recognise that we have a challenge in getting women to be screened, and in getting them to be rescreened," said Mrs Quek.
The foundation also unveiled yesterday its 2012 Pink Ribbon pin and corporate logo which, for the first time, featured two joined ribbons that form an interlinked heart, signifying the importance of men too in the fight against breast cancer, BCF said.
Mrs Quek also announced a new initiative called Blog It, Guys, to encourage the husbands of breast cancer patients to share their stories.
Said Mr Jackie Ng, the chairman of the BCF Men's Support League: "Men are also impacted by the disease, whether it's their spouse, sibling, relative or friend who's battling it."
Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen, who was a breast cancer specialist, attended the event and praised the good work and contributions of the BCF.
"It's a lesson for us that with enough passion, with conviction, you can change lives and you can impact lives," said Dr Ng. "The final message is that the Government can't do everything: It should help, it should facilitate but, at the end of the day, a society is only as great as its citizens."
No comments:
Post a Comment