Jawaher Al Qasimi: Pink Caravan ‘Molbilising All of Society’ 
for Effective Breast Cancer Control

As the UAE eagerly awaits another edition of the Pink Caravan Ride to flag off in Sharjah on Saturday, 23 February, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Founder and Royal Patron of the Friends of Cancer Patients (FOCP), has highlighted that civil society holds an important role in signalling and vocalising collective public concerns, especially a rampant health problem like breast cancer.

Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi has said that led by the key efforts of the Pink Caravan Ride, it’s time for every family and every individual in the UAE to transform their ‘curative’ approach to breast cancer to one that is marked by dialogue and heightened awareness about prevention and early detection.  

Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher said health awareness and disease prevention are pillars of civilised societies, where people’s wellbeing is at the core of nation building. Her Highness has urged the UAE community to come forward to show support to and benefit from this seven-day campaign, which will travel to all seven emirates offering free early detection screenings, and educate the public about the importance of undergoing regular medical check-ups. 

“Health is a pillar of community, along with knowledge and citizenship. While good health and wellbeing is a fundamental human right, the act of preserving it is also a fundamental duty – a shared responsibility of the individual, civil society and the government,” Sheikha Jawaher said.

The Founder and Royal Patron of FOCP has called on social, medical and academic institutions to unify their efforts and activate a national health strategy, which increasingly address cancer control from a horizontal and cross-cutting approach instead of the more traditional disease-specific approach. 

Highlighting the importance of instilling a culture of regular checkups for early detection and treatment of diseases, Sheikha Jawaher said: “The Pink Caravan is mobilising all of society for effective breast cancer control. Their goal is not only to offer free screenings and treatment, but to build a conscious community whose members understand their responsibility towards their heath and are educated about the several risks they face.” 

Her Highness called on both men and women to visit PCR’s medical clinics and get screened, since breast cancer can affect men too, contrary to misconceptions. Sheikha Jawaher highlighted the essential role early detection examinations play in breast cancer control by increasing survival rates and decreasing emotional and financial burden on families.  

Her Highness has warned against the consequences of inaction and failure to perform a medical examination due to fear, shame or the excuse of a busy life. “The Pink Caravan Ride is a community-to-community initiative that involves highly qualified medical teams and offers medical centers across the seven emirates, in addition to follow-up mechanisms to help breast cancer patients and provide them with psychological and moral support,” Sheikh Jawaher Al Qasimi said.   

Her Highness commended the support offered to the Pink Caravan Ride by the UAE’s rational leadership, local and expat communities including breast cancer survivors and their families, sports figures and celebrities public and private organisations, academia and media outlets, saying their collective efforts are a source of pride to everyone in the UAE.

Her Highness added: "The Pink Caravan reflects the strong community bond upheld by the UAE, manifested in people’s active volunteerism and charitable spirit to help alleviate the sufferings of people. It’s easier to surmount these challenges when you have the support and goodwill of people, rather than going through it all alone.”

The ninth edition of the annual pan-UAE breast cancer awareness campaign will be held from 23 February to 1 March, and for the first time in its history, will be offering genetic testing to offer more effective treatment to cases, which are diagnosed positive. 

Last year, the campaign launched a permanent mobilemammography clinic to continue offering checkups, and breast as and cervical cancer screenings throughout the year; not just during the annual ride.   

Since 2011, the Pink Caravan has been spreading the important message of life-savingearly detection. This year, over 30 fixed and mobile clinics equipped with 200 medical volunteers will continue the campaign’s efforts, which have reached 56,000 members of community in the past eight years, and diagnosed 61 positive cases.