Selangor state government, NCWO and Pfizer join hands to encourage men to play a role to support women to go for screening
 
• 100% of men surveyed would support female loved ones to get regular breast cancer screening
 
SELANGOR, April 23 (Bernama) -- According to the Global Cancer Observatory, in 2018 there were 23,218 new cancer cases reported among women in Malaysia, and 7,593 of them were new breast cancer cases[i]. As the most common cancer among women in this country, breast cancer accounted for 32.1% of all female cancers according to the Malaysian National Cancer Registry Report 2007-2011, with an overall lifetime risk of one in 30, which means one woman in 30 will get breast cancer in her lifetime.[ii]

To encourage more women to undergo regular screening, National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO), partnered with the Selangor state government to embrace MenCare – an award-winning programme to educate and empower men to be advocates for breast cancer screening by leveraging the influence of husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles and colleagues. This project is made possible by the support of Pfizer Malaysia.
 
In 2006, the MenCare campaign broke ground with a training manual to educate healthcare NGOs and male advocates on the five stages of the decision making process about breast cancer. In the years following, training and regional workshops were carried out nationwide for healthcare NGOs, male advocates and trainers to train and pass on the education on MenCare to groups and members in the community. Hospital and bookstore collaborations were also rolled out before introducing the latest partnership with the Selangor state government to support the Selangor Free Mammogram Screening Scheme (MammoSEL).
 
MenCare Survey 2019
As part of the partnership to elevate MammoSEL, a public survey targeting men was conducted to investigate the level of male’s support for their female loved ones to undergo regular breast cancer screening and identify any factors that might prevent them from doing so.
 
Today, the public survey results are announced to further educate and influence men to be the advocates for breast cancer screening on a greater scale, not only in Selangor but across Malaysia.
 
Almost half of the 556 male respondents questioned were unaware of the free mammogram provided by the Selangor government, which underlines the significance of a continued collaboration between Pfizer Malaysia, the National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO) and the Selangor state government.
 
Lack of education, fear of the unknown and affordability are the collective challenges that prevented the men from supporting their female loved ones to remain vigilant and undergo breast screenings regularly. However, once the men were informed on how early detection can improve the survival rate of breast cancer patients, all of them pledged their unwavering support to encourage yearly screenings.
 
The MenCare movement
“The MenCare public survey results provide significant insights in our fight against breast cancer in Malaysia,” said Y.B. Puan Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud, the Chairman of Standing Committee on Health, Welfare, Women and Family Empowerment.
 
“When men display supportive behaviour, women battling the cancer have a better chance of survival. In support of the MenCare campaign, the Selangor state government is organising today’s event at our office in efforts to involve all our male staff. I am personally pleased how MenCare has been absorbed as part of Karnival Wellness, Welfare, Women (3W) and I encourage Selangorians to visit the carnival to find out more about this campaign while signing up for the free mammogram (MammoSEL) provided by the state government,” she said.
 
Meanwhile Dato’ Ramani Gurusamy, a representative of National Council of Women's Organisations (NCWO) reiterated in her opening speech, “Men play a vital role as advocates for breast cancer screening. This new data from MenCare’s public survey engagement can be used as a baseline to bolster existing statistics on breast cancer awareness among men in Selangor, further proving the influence of men as well as the importance of their support and encouragement in the call-to-action for regular mammogram screenings.”
 
“We are proud to see the MenCare campaign continue its growth under NCWO with the help of past advocates and now from the Selangor state government. We have been supporting the campaign since 2006 and it is a prime example of Pfizer's deep commitment towards improving healthcare of Malaysia through awareness and education. We applaud the Selangor state government, for supporting MenCare and breaking down barriers in the fight against breast cancer in Malaysia,” said Azwar Kamarudin from Pfizer Malaysia.
 
Download event photos here: https://we.tl/t-tYXHdRTibe
 
About the National Council of Women Organisations (NCWO)
The NCWO was officially established on 25 August 1963 to act as a consultative coordinating and advisory body to raise the status of women and their participation in national development. It has 125 affiliates, which act as independent and viable organizations pursuing their own programmes and lend strength and solidarity to NCWO.
 
NCWO has been a catalyst for change in all areas of national activity. From equal pay to the position of women in marriage separation, divorce, to legal question of maintenance, custody of children, division of property in cases of divorce, to the appointment of women to assist in Departments of Islamic Affairs in the States, the NCWO has been the most effective, determined and vocal advocate for women in our nation.
 
About MenCare
MenCare is an initiative by the NCWO Malaysia, in partnership with Pfizer. It aims to educate men on breast cancer and how it affects families as well as to gather men's support for breast care health of their spouses and female members of their families.
 
Issued by: Hexa-Communications 
On behalf of: Pfizer Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. 
 
Source: National Council of Women Organisations (NCWO)

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