The walk against cancer
SANTO DOMINGO.- Hundreds of Dominicans, mostly women, participated in the “Solidarity Walk against Breast Cancer”, organized by the Clínica Unión Médica del Norte, Diario Libre published.
The main objective of the march held in the Santiago de los Caballeros province, in the north of the country, was to raise awareness about the importance of prevention and early detection of this disease, which affects millions of women in the world.
On the occasion, Senator Daniel Rivera highlighted the relevance of periodic medical checkups, such as mammograms, since identification in its early stages increases the chances of saving lives.
Rivera urged women to undergo these exams regularly and adopt healthy lifestyle habits, including a balanced diet and physical exercise, which can help reduce the risk.
In the Dominican Republic, about 59 people per 100,000 suffer from this disease and mortality is 26.6 percent, according to official figures.
According to the Rosa Emilia Sánchez National Cancer Institute, each year about 1,800 new cases are diagnosed in the country.
This figure, the organizers of the walk agreed to point out, reflects the urgent need to reinforce prevention and awareness campaigns, given that early diagnosis can increase the chances of successful treatment, they reiterated.
Rosa Vargas, president of the Medical Union Foundation, and Delcia Jiménez Rodríguez, member of the organizing committee, also insisted on the importance of self-examination.
The walk began at the facilities of the Clínica Unión Médica and traveled through several avenues of Santiago de los Caballeros, to the Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration.
Breast cancer survival rates are increasing and the number of people who die from this cause is decreasing today in the world, largely due to support for raising awareness about the disease and funding research.
However, not all people have equal access to innovative treatments and the Dominican Republic does not escape that reality.
In this regard, the president of Gaby’s Foundation, Gabriela Toribio, of the women supported by this association in the country, only 10 percent benefit from personalized attention because economic disparities have a significant influence.
“Personalized treatments are quite expensive and this limits those patients without adequate medical insurance,” he reflected.
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