Health authorities strongly recommended that women should have their first mammogram screening at the age of 35 as part of the efforts on early detection of breast cancer for them to be provided with early diagnosis and treatment.
Speaking during the first Think Pink Award on Outstanding Stories on Breast Cancer held at the Century Park Hotel in Manila, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said that women should also have their regular mammography at age 35 and every year thereafter so that breast cancer patients could be detected at the early stages and for them to be provided with the necessary diagnosis and treatment to avail of the prescribed treatment in the various health facilities in the country.
“We hope that the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation will shoulder the mammogram screening of women so that we will be able to convince more of them to undergo such screening as part of our early detection of breast cancer,” Secretary Herbosa stressed.
The health official explained that the mammogram included in the Z package of PhilHealth is already part of the whole treatment for breast cancer but what the health department is recommending that should also be covered by the State insurance corporation is the mammogram screening as part of the early detection efforts for breast cancer to ease the burden among the women and their families as this costs between PhP4,000 to PhP5,000.
At present, the current package for breast cancer that will be shouldered by PhilHealth amounts to around PhP1.4 million but the bulk of this amount will be used to purchase chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment.
On the other hand, Secretary Herbosa recommended the change in the curriculum for radiologic technology so that those individuals taking up the course will be updated on the latest trends in mammography considering the shift from zero to digital mammography.
He admitted that radiologic technicians still practice the traditional way of mammography when in fact, it has already shifted to digital mammography which should already be available to their clients.
“We need to pick up breast cancer patients the earliest before they will feel it for them to be provided with the appropriate diagnosis and treatment,” he said.
In the xeromammogram, radiologic technicians wait for the woman to feel the pain before concluding that it is a good test but in the present digital mammography, there is no need for the woman to be in pain because of the updated technology which must be learned by those in charge of conducting the said test.
One of the major thrusts of the health department is to address the gaps on breast cancer which is the major cause of fatalities among women so that early screening, early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment will be provided for the women to be able to recover from the dreaded illness.
He rallied concerned stakeholders to continue enhancing the discourse and story telling on health care because it plays a vital role in informing and educating the people that illnesses and diseases could be treated provided these same are detected and diagnosed during their early stages and for people to continue embracing healthy lifestyles. By Dexter A. See