By Barth Ndubuwah, Port Harcourt
The Wife of the former Bayelsa State Governor and immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum,Hon Timipre Sylva, Dr. Alanyingi Sylva, has embarked on a breast cancer awareness campaign programme, aimed at educating women of State on the dangers of the disease and how to prevent it.
The programme was held on October 25, 2023, in Bayelsa, in commemoration of the World Cancer Awareness Day.
Speaking at the programme, Dr Sylva told the gathering, comprising majorly of women, that there was a need for them to always check their bodies to know when there are changes.
She lamented that breast cancer disease has increased among the women as 80 percent of it affects them.
“The last 30 years, the world has witnessed a fast growth of almost an epidemic of breast cancer among women. And since this is a gathering that gathers women every Wednesday to pray for the party and for the state, I felt it was also important for the women to, as we pray, also take care of ourselves because, unfortunately, breast cancer affects women a lot.”
“Eighty percent of breast cancer affects women. It’s also important we understand that as our bodies change, things can happen to our bodies. Breast cancer is one thing that can affect us,” she said.
Mrs Alanyingi Sylva, however, assured the women that breast cancer could be prevented if detected in time, hence the essence of the awareness programme and need for regular self examination and occasional hospital screening.
Commending the Alanyingi Sylva’s Medical Foundation for organizing the programme, the Director of Nursing Services at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, described the gesture as overwhelming.
She said that cancer awareness is necessary for prevention of the disease, adding that, “this is what we do every year. Awareness is key.”
On her part, the Assistant Chief Nursing Officer at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Destiny James said, “This is breast cancer awareness month. We encourage them (the women) to do their breast self examination and regular check-ups in the hospital and not to stay at home and assume that this thing is just a breast lump or just a boil.
“We encourage the government to provide more cancer facilities and to create more health policies concerning cancer so that people can go for national screening.”