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Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon.
As Breast Cancer Awareness Month is marked this October, health experts have raised concerns that there are too few mammography units, especially in rural areas and public health centers.
Experts say breast cancer is increasingly affecting younger, pre-menopausal women in South Africa.
Unlike high-income countries, where only five to seven percent of cases are found in women under 40, South Africa’s figure is around 20%.
The Breast Imaging Society of South Africa is calling on women of all ages, especially those under 40, to understand their personal risk and complete a breast cancer risk assessment.
“We know that only about 18 or 19% of the population is on a medical aid. Now, if you are on a medical aid, generally, all of them will pay for a mammogram. If you’re not on a medical aid and you’re relying on public health, unfortunately, it’s only available to women in the big centres. But it doesn’t mean that there’s nothing that can be done. The more education, the more awareness, even if it’s at a primary healthcare level in terms of self-examination, but also that the primary healthcare sisters can do examination means that we can still diagnose cancers quite early, then treat it earlier,” says Chairperson Dr Peter Schoub.
VIDEO | October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
