SOUTH AFRICA’S MOBILE BREAST CHECK (MBCU) AND EDUCATIONAL UNIT LAUNCHED Johannesburg, South Africa, June 29

Cause Marketing Fundraisers (CMF) - the successful grantees for the donation of funds from the Pfizer Foundation and Pfizer South Africa - announced today the launch of the Mobile Breast Check and Educational Unit programme.   They will be working together with a coalition of breast cancer NGOs namely Pink Link, Reach for Recovery and Look Good Feel Better.

The Mobile Breast Check Unit (MBCU) will provide access for South African women to a mobile mammography screening facility as well as providing education on the topic of breast cancer and breast self-examination as well as patient rights.   The MBCU will initially be dispatched to the corporate and peri-urban areas around Gauteng.  The unit will work in collaboration with community clinics to educate women on breast cancer, associated cultural stigma issues and the benefits of early detection. This will be done through easy- to-understand visual materials in vernacular, teaching correct breast self-examination techniques.  The MBCU will work at provincial and regional hospitals where referral can be made to a tertiary institution with surgical and oncology services. There is also an aspect to this programme which will focus on the development of a statistical database to improve notification for breast cancer.

Noelene Kotschan, Director of Cause Marketing Fundraisers (Section 21) and manager of the project, said, "Through the education of women on the importance of early detection in breast cancer, we hope to address the lack of understanding of the disease which leads to the social stigma surrounding it.  In the better educated, medically insured environment, women are bombarded with breast health messages. Many do not listen to the call to action or have mammograms. By providing a convenient service to this group of women and offering screening facilities to women in areas where these services are not currently available, we anticipate strong attendance and the concurrent earlier detection of tumours. We are delighted to be partnering with the Pfizer Foundation on the Mobile Breast Check and Educational Units and are very pleased that we will be able to make a difference within communities who urgently need our support." 

The mobile mammography unit is an eight meter, six ton, 1017 Atego Mercedes truck. The Computed Radiography (CR) unit is a Fuji FCR Profect model CR-IR 363 reader capable of precise 50 micron imaging for fast mammography examinations. The Dell equipment on board the mammography truck includes two desktops and a server which will enable proper statistics to be taken on patients and recorded for future medical use. There will initially be three staff members manning this unit. These include a qualified and certified mammographer, an administration person and a driver.
The Educational Truck will travel the country providing educational sessions on self-examination and breast health awareness. It carries full AV equipment to run visual aid in all vernacular languages.  Patients will be referred to the nearest local clinics should further intervention be required.

Cancer accounts for one in eight deaths globally– more than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. An estimated 80 percent of these deaths will occur in developing countries, which are least prepared to address their growing cancer burdens. Breast cancer alone is a national disease in South Africa affecting one in every 26 women.

Pfizer and The Pfizer Foundation has provided Cause Marketing Fundraisers , a section 21 company, a grant of USD 550,000(R5.5million), which will fund the MBCU.  Pfizer South Africa CEO and Country Manager Brian Daniels said, “We are very proud to be part of such an important initiative. At Pfizer we strive to build partnerships in communities throughout the world to strengthen health systems, increase access to medicines and find sustainable solutions to the health challenges of today and tomorrow.  The launch of these Mobile Breast Check and Educational Units is a good opportunity for all South Africans to benefit from accessible assistance and education in dealing with a disease that can be beaten.” The Pfizer Foundation is already supporting 29 public health programmes in 46 countries around the world including Algeria, China, Japan, Italy, Brazil and Argentina among others. This is part of the Foundation’s multi-year programme to help cancer and tobacco control organizations build their capacity through training and technical assistance, establish national cancer control plans and improve patient services.

Rubiena Duarte. Dell SA Development Fund Chairperson has said with regards to their participation, “We envisage these units being able to educate women on breast cancer and how to detect the disease. At Dell South Africa we are proud to be associated with this great initiative of empowering women in remote areas to take control of their health. 

Pink Link’s Samantha Galliet concluded, “We are thrilled with the launch of this initiative. It is an opportunity to highlight the importance of being breast aware and to learn how to deal with the disease that can affect every one of us – men and women.  Breast Cancer is a very curable disease if detected early enough. Your chances of survival are up to 70 percent in the first and second phases of the illness. By being responsible for your breast health and realising that lifestyle plays an important part in the risk you expose yourself too, we can defeat breast cancer.”