Pink center for women to rise in Taguig City
An all-pink center that will serve as a clinic and information outlet for breast cancer awareness among women— the first initiative of its kind undertaken by a local government unit—will soon rise in Taguig City.
Mayor Lani Cayetano announced this plan on Monday during the launch of a campaign aimed at bringing the program right to the residents’ doorsteps.
The local government partnered with IcanServe Foundation, a group composed of breast cancer survivors, and the Department of Health (DOH) in adopting the program “Ating Dibdibin” (Take your breast care to heart), which promotes early breast cancer detection.
Cayetano said the pink center will make the campaign not just a year-round event but a permanent initiative of the city government and its barangay health workers.
For starters, Cayetano asked the city council to allot a portion of their budget for the purchase of a mammography machine to detect breast cancer.
“If the city has a center, you will just go there. You no longer need to shuttle the women to different hospitals,” said Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, one of the founders of IcanServe.
The costs of the advocacy campaign will be shouldered by Taguig city government and the Department of Health.
Among its partners in defraying the treatment costs are the Philippine General Hospital and the Taguig-Pateros General Hospital.
IcanServe, on the other hand, will train the entire medical team of the city health office, from doctors down to the barangay health workers, to do the breast examinations and launch educational forums.
“At the heart of our program are the testimonials of the breast cancer survivors. Cancer patients fear two things: one is the cost of their treatment, and the other is death,” she said.
Dr. Paulyn Jean Rosell Ubial, assistant secretary of health, said the DOH has been encouraging other local government units to adopt IcanServe’s program.
She said the chances of curing breast cancer are higher compared to other types of cancer, if it is detected in its early stage.
