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Menkes Highlights The Importance Of Breast Cancer Detection For Women Over 40

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin visited Bahteramas Regional Hospital in Southeast Sulawesi on Saturday (December 7). The visit aimed to assess the condition of various medical equipment acquired by the hospital through the Strengthening Indonesia’s HealthCare Referral Network (SIHREN) funding.

During the visit, Minister Budi checked the functionality of the mammography machine provided by the Ministry of Health in 2023. He stated that the provision of mammography through SIHREN is intended to enable the hospital to conduct early detection of breast cancer.

Minister Budi highlighted that breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Indonesian women. He emphasized the importance of early detection for breast cancer.

“Why do so many die from this cancer? Because it is often discovered too late, at stage three or four. However, if detected early at stages one or two, the survival rate is significantly higher with today’s technology,” said Minister Budi.

He also encouraged women not to hesitate to undergo early detection. Furthermore, he mentioned that breast cancer screening will be part of a health screening program for women over 40 years old.

“In the screening program, as a birthday gift from the President, mammography will be included for those at risk. The at-risk group consists of women over 40,” Minister Budi explained.

During his visit to Bahteramas Hospital, Minister Budi also spoke with breast cancer survivor Ni Kadek Mulyati. He clarified that early detection of breast cancer can actually be performed at primary healthcare facilities like community health centers using ultrasound.

I have spoken with the team about improving the skills of general practitioners so that the 10,000 ultrasound machines in community health centers can be used not only for checking pregnant women but also for breast cancer screening, said Minister of Health Budi.

This way, if there are signs of breast cancer, like in Ni Kadek's case, patients can be referred to a hospital for a biopsy or tissue sampling. The samples will then be analyzed in a lab to determine the cancer stage.

The Minister noted that fear of bad test results is one reason women hesitate to get breast cancer screenings. However, he emphasized that early detection is crucial, as the chances of survival are much higher when cancer is found early rather than late.

"Many women avoid mammograms because they fear facing the truth if something is wrong. But even I, not being a doctor, know that finding cancer at stage one is better than discovering it at stage three," said Minister Budi.

Echoing Minister Budi's message, Ni Kadek Mulyati encouraged Indonesian women to not hesitate in getting breast cancer screenings before it's too late. "For women in Indonesia and around the world, let's get checked early to find out if there are any health issues we might not be aware of," she urged.

Regarding the use of mammography at Bahteramas Hospital, Dr. Albertus Varera, Sp.Rad, who benefits from the mammography equipment, stated that he has utilized the support from the Ministry of Health through the SIHREN fund for various breast cancer examinations.

He mentioned that the mammography machine has been used for medical check-ups. "We have performed mammograms on six patients during medical check-ups, and the results were normal," said Dr. Albertus.

Tag: Breast Cancer Detection Budi Gunadi Sadikin Menkes