Cancer Society working to close urban vs rural gap
Published:Friday | October 19, 2018 | 12:00 AMJodi-Ann Gilpin
Recognising the need to close the gap of access to services between rural and urban areas, the Jamaica Cancer Society is exhausting every avenue to make sure all sections of the island are catered to.
Speaking with The Sunday Gleaner during the society's celebration of World Mammography Day last Friday, Shullian Brown, fundraising and public relations officer of the cancer society, said it is partnering with groups at the community and national level to assist with providing cancer services to as many citizens as possible.
"With our limited resources, we try our best to cater to every area islandwide. If we had a mobile mammography truck, which has been down since 2015, then we could have been able to be on the road for at least two or three times per week, going in these communities. We have to partner with groups to assist us to go in these areas," said Brown.
She pointed to the number of women who turned out last Friday to get tested, indicating that there is still a large number of persons who want to do their annual checks but are restricted by financial and other hurdles.
"Today (last Friday) we recognise World Mammography Day. It's a day designed to encourage women to get screened for breast cancer, it's a way of raising awareness about breast cancer. Today at the society we had in excess 200 women here. Some have been here since last night (Thursday) and the day before (Wednesday)," Brown told The Sunday Gleaner.
"We see there is a need whenever we have these initiatives at the cancer society. We are oversubscribed most times because persons are very much interested in getting themselves screened but unfortunately, many persons are unable to do so," added Brown.