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Breast Cancer Awareness

Breast Cancer Awareness

Date: 2012-10-10
October is World Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer guides one to ask the question, "What is femininity?" The answer is quite simple. Femininity is all that is womanly, yes, breasts do come into play, but they are not the defining factor - it's the sum of the parts that makes the whole woman!

There is a lack of awareness about breast cancer in previously disadvantaged communities in South Africa and a lack of interest/fear of getting screened among the affluent population, even though information is readily accessible. To compound these issues, there are insufficient screening facilities in many areas and government hospitals are under resourced, while accessing private facilities can be either too expensive or simply time prohibitive for most women.

The mobile mammography unit has been operational in the Western Cape since February 2011 and over the past two months. PinkDrive has been operating at Groote Schuur Hospital for one day a week and has cleared their backlog in mammography.

PinkDrive has achieved a few milestones since its inception.

  • A total of 44 900 women have been educated on how to perform proper breast examinations and to be proactive in taking care of their health.
  • 34949 clinical breast examinations have been done.
  • 4 206 free mammograms have been provided, with many more to come, as the PinkDrive grows.
  • The information gathered is currently being analysed by IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) in France. This is the first true data on breast cancer in South Africa since 1994.

"PinkDrive aims to have 4-5 educational vehicles and at least one mammography truck in every province. This will help decrease waiting times for mammography examinations and further assist the provinces in providing a better service to the public," says Noelene Kotschan, Founder and CEO of PinkDrive.

"We are very grateful to Mediclinic for providing additional, much-needed funding to enable us to assist the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health in the provision of mammograms at Addington Hospital in eThekwini Durban, Greys Hospital in Umgungundlovu Pietermaritzburg and Ladysmith Hospital in uThukela Ladysmith. PinkDrive looks forward to a long-term relationship with Mediclinic, which will be mutually beneficial. We are currently totally dependent on corporate South Africa and donors for funding," she adds.

Enquiries: Noelene Kotschan, Email: noelene@pinkdrive.co.za, Tel: 083460 6146