Qatar National Library Invites the Community to ‘Go Pink’ In October

13 October 2016

 

Qatar National Library (QNL), in collaboration with the National Center for Cancer Care & Research (NCCCR), Qatar Cancer Society (QCS) and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), is organising a breast cancer awareness event entitled ‘Go Pinkon 15th of October at the Hamad bin Khalifa University Student Center in the Education City.
 
The event, which is open to the public, aims to raise awareness about breast cancer and will include presentations, questions and answers with experts, survivors’ stories and early screening registration, in addition to a side exhibition of booths by participating organisations.
 
Commenting on the event, Amani Al-Yafi, Information Services Librarian at Qatar National Library, said: “QNL is invested in the wellbeing of the local community and is constantly collaborating with various local institutes to create activities and projects that engage and benefit all members of the community. We are appreciative of the participating organisations who are coming together to support the breast cancer cause. We encourage everyone to visit our event, attend the sessions and try to learn as much as possible, as we all need to be educated, aware and empowered about breast cancer. Events like these are the building blocks in supporting Qatar’s journey to a brighter future and QNL is always eager to contribute.”
 
Dr Salha Bujassoum Al Bader, Senior Consultant at National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR), and Director of Breast Cancer Screening Program at HMC, said: “We are proud to be part of the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month; it’s an excellent opportunity for us to work closely with our healthcare partners to raise awareness on prevention and early detection of breast cancer, and to share these educational activities with the communities we serve. At HMC, we encourage women aged 45 and older to participate in national breast cancer screenings. Yet, when a woman of any age notices any changes or symptoms, she should seek medical advice as breast cancer is most treatable when detected early.”
 
Mrs Mariam Al Naimi, General Manager of Qatar Cancer Society, said: “We, at QCS, always make sure to attend all major events held in Qatar, out of our belief in engaging the community through public activities and in a bid to reach out to the wider public to raise awareness about cancer, its causes, and how it can be prevented. We also seek to debunk popular misconceptions in Qatar around cancer as a fatal untreatable disease, for it can largely be treated if detected early. Our participation in QNL’s event is part of our campaign, ‘For Your Health’, running thorugh October to increase women’s and the whole of society’s awareness about breast cancer risks, prevention measures, and how early screening and detection is likely to boost cancer curability.”
 
Dr Shaikha Abu Shaikha, Manager of the Cancer Program Division at the Primary Health Care Corporation, said: “People are aware of the seriousness of cancer; however, the awareness of how important it is for early screening has some distance to go. By attending screenings, there is a greater chance for successful treatment, should any cancerous cells be detected before they progress into later stages. To attain the objective of encouraging targeted group to undergo screening, the Primary Health Care Corporation is leading campaigns for the Breast and Bowel Cancer Screening Program, with the purpose of spreading awareness, and we are working harder than ever to go further in our efforts.”
 
The event starts at 4pm with opening remarks and an awareness session about breast cancer followed by an exhibition from 5.30pm to 9pm.
 
As a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), QNL aims to promote a culture of excellence in Qatar and further its role in supporting an innovative and open society that aspires to develop sustainable human capacity to enrich a knowledge-based economy.