Italian Charitable Sponsors Mammography Facility To Mbweni Hospital

Dar es Salaam: Mbweni Hospital in Kinondoni District of Dar es Salaam can now screen breast cancer. Italian charitable organization Ruvuma Onius Limited has donated the facility a mobile Mammography system, which costs around 80,000 euro.

The breast cancer screening facility was handed over to the hospital by Mr Luigi Scotto, Ambassador of Italy to Tanzania.

Thanking the charitable organization at the Mbweni Hospital, Dr Yekebeth Uuhahula, Head of Radiology Department at the Ocean Road Cancer Institute, said the sponsor has come at the right moment when they are working out on carrying a Breast Cancer awareness campaign later this year in October.

She added that the new mobile Mammography will enable them in the early treatment of women suffering from breast cancer. The disease is still a big challenge in their country as most of the women do not turn up for early treatment and is reported to go for healing when cancer reaches in advanced stage.

Among those who have been screened at the Ocean Road Hospital last year, more than 400 of them had signs of breast cancer.

Speaking at the hospital, the Italian speaker said the new sponsored facility would help women detect the disease at an early stage. He added prevention is better than cure.

In Tanzania women the breast cancer scores to be the second most common cancer. The first is cervical cancer.