A pebble with a message encourages women to get breast cancer checks

Medcare initiated a unique direct engagement campaign to help women in UAE proactively seek guidance for breast cancer checks.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 22 March 2017:  Breaking the silence and taboo around breast examination, Medcare has initiated a ‘discreet’ campaign to help women directly reach out to healthcare specialists for screening and mammography, with an opportunity to have their questions on the disease answered. As part of the effort, a pebble was placed inside the shoes of women who went for prayers and attended religious education sessions. Upon coming back, the women felt a lump inside their shoes, and were compelled to examine the small stone that gave them a simple yet powerful message “Some Lumps are Not Visible, Breast Check Tips at 800 Medcare”.

The first phase of the intervention was rolled out across various locations in Dubai including Barsha, JLT, and Discovery Gardens. 

“Women do not proactively seek guidance for screening processes such as mammography, because there is a gap in communication within families, and in most cases there is a taboo on the discussion of the subject openly. Even if an awareness message is sent out, people are passive recipients of the information, since there is no clear course of action prescribed for the women to act upon. Thus many women come to us for a diagnosis at a late stage of breast cancer. Through our 800Medcare helpline, we are empowering women to make a simple phone call, to encourage early diagnosis and prevention of breast cancer,” Dr. Muna Obaid Hasan, Specialist Breast Surgeon, Medcare Woman & Children Hospital.

Breast cancer education campaigns need to address sociocultural norms, moral values, and misconceptions, while delivering culturally sensitive information about the disease.

“Our aim was to introduce a culture-based intervention that takes care of the sensitivities surrounding a subject like clinical breast examination. At Medcare, we strive to understand the needs of the local communities and encourage people to take control of their health in their own hands, with assistance from our team of doctors and specialists. Post implementation of the first phase of the activity; we have received numerous  phone calls from women across UAE enquiring about breast cancer checks, further strengthening our resolve to continue such initiatives,” expressed Samah Aziz, Assistant General Manager, Marketing and Business Development Manager at Medcare Hospital.

Once a person calls on the 800 Medcare (8006332273) helpline number, an expert helps the patient get guidance and information on the types and most common forms of breast cancer, risk factors, and the importance of screening, early detection, prevention, risk-reduction strategies, and treatment of cancer. Women can also seek personal counseling delivered via telephone or face- to-face with individual specialists at the hospital for more in-depth discussions on cancer prevention and early diagnosis. 

Tailoring interventions to a population’s educational, language, cultural, employment, and health behavioral characteristics increases its effectiveness. Further, addressing women’s perceptions of Arab-specific cultural norms is critical for reducing the incidence of a disease like breast cancer, and for bringing about a significant behavior change for positive long-term health outcomes.