MAP’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month activities continued this week, with a seminar organised in Gaza for Palestinian health professionals to learn more about breast cancer treatment and care. Breast cancer surgeon and UK Member of Parliament Dr Philippa Whitford joined Wednesday’s seminar via internet link from London.
Dr Whitford addressed an audience of 200 people, including surgeons, representatives of NGOs and international organisations, and breast cancer survivors, to give a presentation on the latest advances and UK best practice in breast cancer surgery. Back in April, Dr Whitford visited Gaza with MAP, her first return visit to the territory since she worked there for MAP in the early 1990s.
The workshop was organised by one of MAP’s local partner organisations, the Culture and Free Thought Association, which runs a women’s health clinic in the Bureij Refugee Camp. Dr Whitford visited the clinic back earlier this year, and met with a number of breast cancer survivors to hear about their experiences trying to access adequate care despite the blockade and closure of Gaza.
This month Dr Whitford has been supporting MAP’s call for the removal of the obstacles to care for Palestinian breast cancer patients, which include restrictions on the right to movement, and shortages of essential medicines in Gaza.
Please join our Palestine Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign by emailing your MP today, and asking them to support Palestinian women with breast cancer.
You can learn more about the obstacles to breast cancer care for Palestinians living under occupation by reading our latest fact sheet here.