Nov 06, 2015 Hundreds of women recently gathered at Tunisia’s Institute Salah Azaiz hospital for free mammograms, counsel and support on issues related to breast cancer.
The medical event was part of a charity initiative set up by the Tunisian Medical Students’ Association, ASSOCIA-MED.
Speaking at the event, Aslem Souli, President of the Tunisian Medical Students’ Association said:
“The organization of this event came out from a fact, actually, the screening and the possibility to have access to mammography and echography. There is no treatment access for needy social class,”
Scores of women showed up for the consultations, with volunteer medics directing patients to the necessary areas.
Mehdi Benna, a volunteer doctor said:
“Everybody is working on improving the breast cancer detection in Tunisia. We improved the care services however we have not improved the screening. That’s why we must rely on Tunisians and on citizens and we should put hand in hand to reach the modern countries level,”
For many of the women, it was the first time accessing this kind of health care.
Monia Ben Salah, one of the women who showed up for the checkup said:
“I heard about it on the radio, considering I have a pain here. This is a good opportunity to have a checkup,”
According to the organizers, over one thousand women had mammograms and more than one hundred were referred for further treatment.