Bahamas' Ministry of Health on Wednesday unveiled its plans to advance
breast cancer programs in The Bahamas through a public-private
partnership with the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,
Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure,
the world's leading breast cancer organization.
The Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas is committed to
protecting and promoting the health of the people of the Bahamas.
Therefore, the Ministry of Health has a mandate to "ensure that the
highest quality of services for health promotion, protection, and care
are accessible to all persons of the Bahamas in order to achieve optimal
health."
During a launch event, the Honorable Dr. Perry Gomez, MP, the Minister
of Health, announced the formation of a Breast Cancer Planning Committee
and outlined the Bahamas' breast cancer program for an audience of local
non-governmental organizations, Bahamian government officials and other
key stakeholders.
According to Dr. Gomez, the breast cancer agenda will include
establishing a recommendation for the minimum age for breast cancer
screening guidelines by January 2013; initiating provider education,
including integrating breast cancer curriculum into Continuing Medical
Education certification and incorporating breast cancer language into
the Medical and Nursing Acts; implementing public education with
assistance from Susan G. Komen; and reviewing the use of current
mammography machines to ensure they are operating at full capacity.
The role of the Breast Cancer Planning Committee will be to help
coordinate the efforts of the many individual organizations and groups
already working to fight breast cancer in The Bahamas and assist the
Ministry of Health in developing a national breast cancer policy and
agenda.
The Committee will consist of, but not be limited to, representatives
from the following organizations: Ministry of Health - serving as the
lead agency; Marathon Bahamas; Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support
Group; Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation; Cancer Association of
Grand Bahama; Princess Margaret Hospital's Oncology Department; Doctors
Hospital; Cancer Society of The Bahamas; Cancer Association of Grand
Bahama; Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative; Medical Association of The
Bahamas; Nursing Association of The Bahamas; Radiographers Association
of The Bahamas; and Health Insurance Association.
Other speakers at the event included Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, Komen
founder and CEO and Brian Moodie, President of Sunshine Insurance
Marathon Bahamas. Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas is Komen's
in-country Race for the Cure® partner and has made significant
contributions to helping raise awareness of breast cancer. Brinker and
Moodie stressed the critical need to increase awareness and improve
treatment of breast cancer in the Bahamas and praised the Ministry of
Health for its efforts.
Groundbreaking research, made possible by a Komen grant to Dr. Judith
Hurley, M.D., of the University Of Miami School Of Medicine, has led to
the discovery that 23% of the Bahamian women diagnosed with breast
cancer carry the BRCA1 gene mutation. The BRCA1 mutation is one of the
most well-known genes linked to breast cancer risk, and is thought to
explain a large portion of hereditary breast cancers, which occur in the
Bahamas.
As part of Komen's efforts to support the government's breast cancer
agenda, on Wednesday Komen awarded a $50,000 grant — made possible by
three-time and ten-year breast cancer survivor Tina Lewis — in support
of a local NGO breast cancer consortium aimed at strengthening breast
cancer provider and public education services as well as technical
assistance. The program will be led and implemented by Sister Sister
Breast Cancer Support Group, in collaboration with the Princess Margaret
Hospital Foundation, and the Cancer Association of Grand Bahama. The
grant is supported by the Ministry of Health, Marathon Bahamas, One
Eleuthera and the wider community.
Brinker also announced that Komen is matching Lewis' gift of $50,000,
for a total of $100,000 toward supporting breast cancer efforts in the
Bahamas. The additional $50,000 will be used to accelerate provider
training, and public education and awareness efforts in the Bahamas.
"Susan G. Komen for the Cure is proud to be collaborating with
government officials, medical professionals, scientists, survivors, and
advocates in The Bahamas who are taking bold strides toward ending
breast cancer forever," said Brinker. "The government's breast cancer
program announced on Wednesday will help increase awareness, thereby
down-staging the disease - and ultimately improving care and treatment
outcomes."
Other efforts to raise awareness about breast cancer in the Bahamas
include a partnership between Komen and the Atlantis, Paradise Island
Resort hotel - the largest employer on the Island. The new Pink it in
Paradise initiative will raise funds among guests and employees and will
be distributed for breast health initiatives and education in the
Bahamas. To learn more visit: www.atlantis.com/promotions/pinkitinparadise.aspx.
In the Bahamas, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in
women, with health officials estimating 300-500 new cases annually. Some
23 percent of Bahamian women diagnosed with breast cancer carry the
BRCA1 gene mutation, which puts a woman at greater risk for breast
cancer. Nearly half of the Bahamian women diagnosed with breast cancer
are under age 50, and nearly half of those are diagnosed at stage 3 of
the disease. Studies also show that an alarming 43 percent of the women
who succumb to the deadly disease are under age 50 at the time of death.
Since 2009, Komen has worked with its strategic partner, Sunshine
Insurance Marathon Bahamas, local government and non-government agencies
to help end suffering from the disease in the islands.
This expanded partnership with the Bahamas is part of Komen's growing
international presence in the fight against women's cancers. To date,
millions of dollars has been invested in research and public health
programs in more than 30 countries outside the United States through the
funding of grants, program collaboration and the Race for the Cure
series.