The bridge bank has restated its commitment to work with major stakeholders to combat the breast cancer scourge in the country.
Over the years, the commercial bank said, it has collaborated with relevant NGOs like Care Organisation Public Enlightenment, COPE, and Societal Healthcare Organisation, SHO, to breast cancer in the country, adding that one of the core of the bank’s CSR is to ensure good health among Nigerians.
According to Global Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence, GOLOBOCAN, breast cancer (BC) was the most common cancer worldwide, with death rates higher in low -medium-income countries like Nigeria.
It is also the leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality among women globally, the global cancer awareness body said, adding that female breast cancer has surpassed lung cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer, with an estimated 2.3 million new cases annually globally.
Speaking Nduneche Ezurike, Polaris Bank’s, Group Head, Strategic Brand Management said the bank remained unwavering in its efforts to stem breast cancer among Nigerian women.
He made this comment in commemoration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, BCAM), an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer organisations every October to increase awareness among women of the scourge and to raise funds for research and prevention.
According to Ezurike, “In partnership with the aforementioned NGOs, we have covered five key milestones namely; awareness, advocacy, capacity-building, prevention, and treatment in an ongoing effort to reverse the negative impact and trend of the scourge and other related health complications.
“We have screened over 20,000 women including female staff members of the Bank through our prevention program, donated three ultra-modern breast cancer screening machines to enhance quality diagnosis and clinical practices, sponsored the treatment of over 30 indigent cancer patients, and organized a 10-km walk with over 2,500 participants to draw public attention to the breast cancer scourge.”
Responding, the President of COPE, Ebunola Anozie, said “we are grateful for the timely support of Polaris Bank. They were able to donate prostheses that ensured our breast cancer survivors lived better lives”.
