With the beginning of November, the Kosovo government has completed the campaign of the Rose Theatre, the month for awareness of breast cancer.

At the table across October Rose, Prime Minister Albin Kurti has voiced hope that Kosovo society progress in awareness of the importance of health controls. According to him, health institutions have worked in this direction, while already services such as mammography and breast reconstruction are offered free.

In addition to an awareness message beyond October Rose, we jointly aim to promote a culture of constant public health care, health care, and encouragement from each other not to postpone control… Our task is to cut the distance between concern and control, between diagnosis and treatment, between the woman seeking assistance and the institution that responds to it. This job starts with awareness, through campaigns that the Ministry of Health and the National Institute of Public Health and through the work of organizations and public and private enterprises… In this regard, mammography is now offered free year – round. During October, mobile mammography travels through Kosovo cities to bring this service even closer to women. Incology treatment patients have also improved conditions and recent technology devices have been installed. Also offered is the construction of the free and unremitting bay, Kurti said.

And Health Minister Arben Vitita noted that over 50 percent of breast cancer cases have been diagnosed in early stages, while this number is targeted and is expected to grow further.

Now we have an action plan for breast cancer screing, which is beginning to be implemented and, as we’ve mentioned several times during this campaign, 53.4 percent of women were diagnosed in the first and second stage of breast cancer last year. According to health institutions information, so far this percentage is expected to be even higher in the year we are closing. Our goal is to increase this percentage still because early discovery is the best, less problematic, and cheaper way to overcome the disease. This means providing access to diagnostics throughout Kosovo’s territory, with equipment and opportunities for each patient. Of course, early self – control and medical announcement are key to early success and diagnosis, he stressed.

Vitita thanked the media for their activities and has been able to get these messages into every home in Kosovo.

He singled out co-operation in the battle against breast cancer, citing municipal-level representatives Bujar Gashi, director of the Directorate of Health and Social Goods in Pristina, and Albana Gashi, director of the Directorate of Health and Social Management in Fusha Kosovo, as well as the Vita Living Association, led by Nafije Latifi, and all the other actors who contributed to the campaign.

During October, Kosovo Assembly Speaker Albulen Haxhiu had also called for increased care of women’s health and regular medical checkups, with the aim of early discovery of breast cancer. / KP/