Pink Caravan Ride medical partners make great contribution to its success

Backed by volunteering medical teams from leading multispecialty hospitals in the three major emirates of the UAE – University Hospital Sharjah (UHS), Healthpoint in Abu Dhabi and Al Zahra Hospital in Dubai – the eighth edition of the Pink Caravan Ride breast cancer awareness campaign registered 7,795 free screenings and clinical examinations; the highest number the annual nationwide initiative has reached in all its years of being operational.

For UHS and Healthpoint, this was their second year of partnership with the Pink Caravan Ride in taking the campaign’s message of awareness, importance of regular screenings and early detection, to the maximum number of citizens and residents in all seven emirates.

The fixed clinic in Sharjah’s Al Majaz Waterfront was supported by UHS, which decided to continue offering the free examinations for four days after the stipulated operational timeline of March 11, ended up serving a fantastic number of 1,212 walk-ins.

Dr Ali Obaid Al Ali, CEO and Board of Trustees, UHS, said: "This is the fifth fruitful year of University Hospital Sharjah’s partnership with Pink Caravan and the second time that UHS has provided the medical team at Al Majaz Waterfront clinic. Firstly, I want to thank Pink Caravan for they integrity and support towards this noble cause – they have been an excellent platform to help raise awareness about breast cancer. Secondly, UHS has been an instrument in promoting breast cancer awareness through early detection education and support services.'' '' Early detection can reduce the risk of breast cancer and it can also make the disease easier to treat. Hence, we wanted maximum women to benefit from our clinic. We believe that every little bit counts and we are doing our bit to help create a healthy and happy future for the UAE," he underscored.

The fixed clinic in the capital was set up at the Al Seef Village Mall and operated by a specialised medical team from the Healthpoint Hospital, who delivered 274 free breast checkups and offered expert advice to visitors during the entire length of the campaign.

Shedding light on the hospital’s longstanding partnership with Pink Caravan Ride, Dr Mai Al Jaber, Acting Medical Director at Healthpoint, said: "Early detection is key to ensuring a better chance of full recovery, and we strongly believe that women and men across the UAE should have easy access to information and screening. Being a part of Pink Caravan’s initiative to raise breast cancer awareness across the nation has greatly benefitted our cause since 2016, and we are delighted to work with them and support their efforts to ensure a safer and healthier nation." For Al Zahra Hospital, 2018 was their debut collaboration with the ride, through which their medical volunteering team serviced the fixed clinic set up at The Dubai Mall, taking in 420 visitors for free checkups and screenings in eight days.

Speaking about their first collaboration with the campaign, Sadir Alrawi, Director of the oncology programme at Al Zahra Cancer Centre, said: It was an honour to have staff from our hospital and cancer centre participating in this prestigious event. Conducting free patient examinations and radiological evaluations, and listening to each visitor’s story felt so rewarding. Pink Caravan Ride gave us the opportunity to serve community members selflessly, and the entire campaign is an excellent celebration of solidarity and community spirit. We were proud to have been part of this noble journey, and look forward to numerous more associations in a similar capacity. Al Zahra will continue their support for examinations and follow-ups at the Al Zahra Cancer Centre." The role played by the Pink Caravan Ride’s medical partners in coming together strongly to raise awareness and promote breast health made a tangible difference to not just the campaign’s objectives, but to UAE’s fight against breast cancer, which is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the country.

Dr Sawsan Al Madhi, Head of Pink Caravan Ride Medical and Awareness Committee, extended her sincere appreciation to the Pink Caravan Ride’s medical partners for their pivotal role. She said: "On behalf of each one of us at Pink Caravan Ride, I would like to convey a big thank you to all our three medical partners for their unfailing support in taking our message of awareness far and wide. The three hospitals together delivered close to 2,000 free checkups – a significant number – and made sure our fixed clinics in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi ran like clockwork every minute of the campaign. I would also like to thank our strategic medical partners, the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi, the Dubai Health Authority, Sharjah Health Authority and Ministry of Health and Prevention." "In the Year of Zayed, it humbles us to see that the spirit of selfless humanitarian service, so dear to our beloved founding father, is upheld to its highest possible degree by state as well as private entities serving the UAE community. We look forward to fruitful collaborations with our esteemed partners yet again in future," she added.

The Pink Caravan Ride is organised annually by the Sharjah-based cancer charity, Friends of Cancer Patients (FOCP).