Pretoria - The MEC for Heath in Gauteng, Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi, took part in the launch of a week-long screening campaign at Silverton Clinic as part of Women’s Month commemoration activities.
The campaign was initiated by the Life Healthcare Group which partnered with the Pink Drive and South African National Council for the Blind to enhance women’s access to healthcare.
A series of health screenings will be on offer for the week, including mammograms, pap smear and prostate-specific antigen tests, as well as eye care service.
The activities form part of Women’s Month and will be commemorated under the theme “Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights for an Equal Future”.
Celebrity speaker and cancer survivor Lilian Dube, 76, used her humour as a comedy actor to have the audience laughing and learning about how prevention was better than cure.
She encouraged women and girls as young as 14 to start feeling their breast for lumps when they were on their menstrual periods.
She humorously used her famous line “suck those titties” to encourage men to assist their women find lumps they may not know they have in their breasts, which could aid them beat illnesses like breast cancer.
“I used to have a mirror and these big beautiful breasts like those of Dolly Parton. These are not my breasts so I do not have a cleavage anymore. How I noticed is that I was bathing myself and then I noticed that the other breast was bigger. Normally they are not the same size but it was too pronounced.
“Because of what I knew from my role as nurse Sister Bettina in Soul City, I touched myself there. I did not even know how to do it but it really does not really require you to be clever. It is just the size of a pea.
“I felt the size of the lump and I went for a mammogram. Fortunately I was in Soul City and I was in the habit of going for yearly mamographs. So ladies, after the age of 40, please go for yearly mammograms.”
Dube said the first time she was told there was nothing wrong with her but over time they said the lump was very tiny. But when she saw her breast leaking this test confirmed her suspicion.
PinkDrive founder Noelene KotKotscha told the audience that she founded the organisation on the premise that “Early detection will help prolong a life”. This was after she lost her husband to the big C illness. She decided to dedicate her life to assisting people detect cancer early and fight it.
The cardinal purpose of the PinkDrive is to contribute meaningfully towards preventing as many people as it can from succumbing to breast, cervical, prostate and testicular cancer.
Life Healthcare Group chief executive Adam Pyle emphasised the importance of advancing women’s access to healthcare for the betterment of society, their lives and those whose lives are affected by them.
Mokgethi said: “As a department, we have made great strides to improve the delivery of quality healthcare services in recent years. however, inequalities regarding access to basic healthcare still persist, particularly among women.
“There are various health research reports indicating that South Africa is still a society characterised by gender inequality where women don’t get access to quality education and health services. Ladies and gentlemen, let me take this opportunity to welcome the partnership between Gauteng Department of Health and Pink Drive and Life Healthcare that will be embarking on week of health screening.
“These will contribute to early detection of the most common reproductive related cancers in Gauteng. I like to encourage more of these partnerships to further share the best practices and innovative interventions between us in the public service and the private sector. The burden for oncology cases has increased in the Gauteng province.”
Pretoria News