The national center for cancer researches at the university of Baghdad holds a symposium for women working in the ministry of planning
The pioneer national center for cancer researches at the university of Baghdad in cooperation with the commission for the advancement of women in the ministry of planning, held a specialized scientific symposium on how to control breast cancer with the participation of ( 130 ) female members working in the ministry of planning in line with the national campaign for early detection of cancer with joint cooperation of different state ministries in an attempt towards exchange of scientific expertise and raising awareness in the Iraqi society. The symposium was opened with a speech by prof. Dr. Mahdi al-Alaq, undersecretary of the minister of planning for administrative affairs and chairman of the central bureau of statistics who welcomed the attendants and stressing on the keenness of his ministry on the joint cooperation between the ministries of higher education and health for the advancement of health services and the need to enhance the level of awareness in the Iraqi society to avoid such diseases, praising the efforts made by the center in opening horizons of cooperation between these two ministries and spreading its medical awareness program. In the same context, prof. Dr. Nada Abdul Sahib al-Alwan, director of the national center for cancer researches and executive director of the national campaign for early detection of cancer supervised by the department of research and development at the ministry of higher education gave a lecture on the risk of cancer, ways to prevent it, the most prominent methods for early detection, focusing on clinical examination and educating women about breast self-examination, reviewing the benign and malignant tumors that can infect women and the role of medical and radio diagnosis in early detection of these tumors and the need to facilitate treatment. Al-Alwan shed light on the role played by the national center to control breast cancer through conducting periodic examinations, providing diagnosis for female patients and its awareness campaigns. Also Dr. Wafa Mohammed Atuf, professor of nursing at the center gave a detailed explanation of the practical method of breast self-examination by using a doll with the presentation of a television film about this subject. Questionnaires, guidelines, awareness pamphlets and posters were distributed during the symposium ending with an open discussion with the members that resulted in a number of recommendations including a plan for training women in the ministry of planning on how to do breast self-examination. Prof. Dr. Nada Alwan hinted to the cooperation with the ministry of health to allocate a mobile cart for breast examining and to grant artificial breasts with accessories free of charge to the Iraqi patient women who have undergone breast resection since 2013 till the present day. The symposium was attended by Ms. Nasrin Sami Al-Attiyah, director of quality control and chairman of the commission for the advancement of women, Ms. Anwar Jamil, director general of department of international cooperation, Ms. Hana Sawadi, director general of the legal department and Ms. Niran Hassan Judy, head of technical cooperation department at the ministry of planning.