IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF SIERRA LEONE, THE WELL WOMAN CLINIC RAISES AWARENESS OF BREAST CANCER AND SCREENS OVER 300 MEN AND WOMEN IN 3 COLLEGE CAMPUSES.
Over a period of three days, from Tuesday 25th June 2019 to Thursday 27th June 2019, the WELL WOMAN CLINIC, in partnership with the UNIVERSITY OF SIERRA LEONE, carried out an exercise to raise awareness of breast cancer and to screen male and female students in three colleges, namely The Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), Fourah Bay College (FBC) and the College of Nursing. This was the Clinic’s first attempt on campus to reach students with preventive health education in the field of reproductive health, especially breast and cervical cancer. The report indicates that 86% of the participants were women and 14% men.
Risk factors for breast cancer are generally the same for both men and women but the lifetime risk for men being diagnosed with the disease is about 1 in 1,000. However, it is worth noting that once diagnosed, breast cancer usually runs a more deadly course in men than in women because most men do not routinely examine their breasts for lumps or other abnormalities, nor do they seek medical attention as soon as they detect them.
In Sierra Leone, participation of men in breast cancer screening has slowly increased from a mere 2%-6% at the start of such exercises to between 12-20%, thus indicating that the message is being received by the general public that, while a rare occurrence, men are not exempt from the breast cancer scourge, and that early detection is the key to survival.
The Director of the Well Woman Clinic, Mrs. Jennifer Renner-Thomas and its staff would like to thank Dr. Fatu Taqi, Director of Academic & Career Advisory & Counselling Services, USL for supporting this exercise, and for her continued efforts to ensure that students are educated on health issues on an annual basis.
The Clinic had also partnered with different schools in the western area and this partnership between the Well Woman Clinic and the University of Sierra Leone is the continuation of the Clinic’s strategy to reach students and pupils all over the country with preventive health education in the field of reproductive health especially breast and cervical cancer.