Global Arab Network | Oman - Step forward in the fight against cancer

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Oman - Step forward in the fight against cancer

Global Arab Network - - Maha Karim

Tuesday, 27 October 2009 09:50

Oman_-_Step_forward_in_the_fight_against_cancer

The National Association for Cancer Awareness has taken another giant step forward in the fight against cancer. The country’s first Mobile Mammography Unit (MMU) will be available in November and ready to take NACA's care on the road to serve women who otherwise might not have access to breast cancer screening and cancer education. The total cost to build the MMU amounts to RO 388,000 and its total annual maintenance costs RO 151,750.

The new MMU will be dedicated to offering digital mammograms across the Sultanate and will be traveling the roads of Oman to offer mammogram services to all residents of Oman, nationals and expatriates. The program targets women who fit the protocol laid out by Oman's highly specialized oncologists, namely women aged 40 and older. NACA's MMU is custom built in Oman and its service will be offered FREE of charge.

One of the barriers women face when choosing to attend a mammography session, is the distance and time required to have the examination, thus this MMU will provide easy access to regular checkups. An all female team of registered radiological technicians with advanced training in the discipline of mammography will staff the unit. A fully equipped examination room is on board allowing for clinical breast examinations as well. The unit is accessible to women with special needs – facilitating NACA's aim to reach EVERY woman. NACA's MMU service will begin in November 2009.

For 6 months it will be located in the Governorate of Muscat, within or near designated health centers. Having an on-site digital mammogram in the MMU is just as safe and confidential as going to a fixed-site center. Images will be transmitted to NACA where they will be read by specialized radiologists.

If lesions are suspected, the images will be transmitted directly to NACA’s oncology centers at the Royal and Khoula Hospitals in the Ministry of Health, as well as the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital where further analysis will be carried out and a decision on whether treatment is required can be made. It is important to recognize that The National Association for Cancer Awareness' Mobile Mammography Unit has only been made possible through the support and generous funding from the private sector, individual philanthropists across the community, and the support of relevant ministries.

The National Association for Cancer Awareness wishes to thank all its members, supporters and contributors and congratulates those who supported and funded this project and made it a reality.

Global Arab Network

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