Rotary marks breast cancer month with mammography machine donation

The handing over of a mammography machine and digital  processor to the value of Rs. 14.3 million,   by the Rotary Club of Colombo  to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital ,on 12th  October, marked the first step in the launch of the first regional facility, in the Club’s Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Project ,which this year enters its 12th year in fighting cancer.  

This historic milestone was achieved through a global grant of the Rotary Foundation ,where the Rotary Club of Colombo together with international partners RC Birmingham (Alabama, USA), RC Nurnberg  Sigena (Germany) and RC Zurich Shital  ( Switzerland ) have come together to make available this very valuable equipment for the setting up of the first regional centre dedicated for screening and early detection of cancer. 

The project already operates the National Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Centre launched 12 years ago in partnership with the national cancer control programme of the Ministry of Health.. To-date the Centre in Elvitigala Mawatha has screened almost 50,000 people mainly females, and approximately 13,000 people have been detected and with signs requiring further investigation.
It is particularly meaningful to make available this screening equipment for early detection of breast cancer in October , which marks breast cancer awareness month. Locating this screening facility in Kurunegala Hospital which services over one third of the country’s population will benefit a significant number, enabling them to access this facility for early detection of breast cancer which has the highest incidence amongst all cancers in Sri Lanka. 

The President RCC Rtn Mohamed Abidally together with project chairperson PP Rtn Nirmali Samaratunga and other project members PP Rtn Tony Alles and PDG Rtn Tissa Bandaranaike, handed over the equipment to Hospital Acting  Director Dr Chandana Kandangamuwa, Chief Radiologist Dr Samantha Perera and other  doctors  from the Oncology unit and Radiology  Unit. This donation is expected to make a significant contribution towards bringing down the incidence of breast cancer in the region, thus saving several hundred lives.