Trade Chronicle Sep - Oct - 2020 issue

TRADE CHRONICLE
Celebrating Pinktober, BIMA Mobile hosts #GoPinkwith-
BIMA!
This, Breast Cancer Awareness Month
BIMA Mobile, the leading provider of
digital health and insurtech services in
Pakistan teamed up with the Honourable
First Lady of Pakistan, Begum Samina
Arif Alvi to host a digital meet up to raise
awareness of the disease.
#GoPinkwithBIMA was aimed at
harnessing the power of social media
to discuss different aspects of Breast
Cancer Awareness in Pakistan, where
90,000 women are diagnosed every year.
The event was graced by the First Lady
of Pakistan, Begum Samina Arif Alvi as
the chief guest, a true champion of Breast
Cancer Awareness and one of Pakistan’s
most significant and influential voice of
the cause.
The event opened with the recitation of
the Holy Quran and the National Anthem
of Pakistan, followed by an introductory
note by Hina Qaiser (Head of Marketing,
BIMA Mobile) and addresses by Murtaza
Khalil Hassan (CEO BIMA Mobile), The
First Lady of Pakistan, Begum Samina
Arif Alvi and Dr. Ahmad Mansoor (Chief
Medical Officer (CMO) BIMA Mobile).
After the initial addresses, guest
Consultant Medical Oncologist Dr. Umme
Kalsoom Awan answered questions from
the audience related to Breast Cancer.
Why is Breast Cancer Increasing in
Pakistan?
Although breast cancer is a leading cause
of death for women all over the world,
Pakistan in particular is suffering more
than most, it currently has the highest
rate of breast cancer in all of Asia. We
have seen a steady increase in breast
cancer rates all over Pakistan during the
last decade.
According to some recent studies, the
rate of breast cancer is only going to
increase over the next few years, going
up by 130% by the year 2025 when
compared to 2015. This is being caused
by a combination of factors including an
overall change in behaviour and diet,
an aging population and an increase in
awareness.
Before we discuss these various factors
it is important to note that it is impossible
“Breast cancer is a serious issue for
developed and developing countries.
Globally every year over 1.3 million
patients are diagnosed with breast
cancer. Globally, the mortality rate for
the disease is around 3 to 4 % whereas
in Pakistan it is almost 45 % which is
indeed an alarming situation. According
to experts if the disease is diagnosed at
the first stage there are 95 % of survival
chances which means that mortality
rate can be reduced through educating
women about the early symptoms of the
disease. Doctors, philanthropists, civil
society, military institutions, hospitals,
schools, universities and NGOs have
joined the drive for creating the maximum
awareness about breast cancer. I would
to determine
exactly how
much each of
these factors
is contributing to
the overall problem. This is mainly due
to the lack of concrete data available in
Pakistan.
Behaviour
Some studies have pointed out that
Pakistan has seen an increase in cancer
causing behaviours in both men and
women over the last few years. These
behaviours include tobacco use, physical
inactivity and poor diets that involve a
large amount of processed food. All of
these things have been linked to cancer
time and time again by studies all over
the world, so it is no surprise that as
they grow in popularity in Pakistan, the
rate of cancer will grow with them. The
increase in the availability of fast food is
also partially to blame for this as fast food
also like to appreciate the response of
the media particularly newspapers and
social media are also playing a significant
role. I urge the media to keep creating
awareness regarding the disease
throughout the year.” said First Lady of
Pakistan, Begum Samina Arif Alvi
“I thank the Honourable First Lady for
her support and attendance today. With
our work entirely focused on Health in
Pakistan, the month of October has
always been very significant to us given its
resonance with breast cancer, serving as
a reminder to spread greater awareness
to regularly self-check & to be screened
in the hope that early detection will lead to
more positive outcomes in the fight against
breast cancer. On our part, through our
expert tele-doctors and tailored health
programmes we continue to champion
greater health and wellness awareness
for our customers. Given that in Asia,
Breast cancer has the highest rates of
incidence in Pakistan, we wanted to use
our voice while harnessing the reach of
social media combined with the power of
voices of influence” said Murtaza Khalil
Hassan, CEO BIMA Mobile Pakistan
In Pakistan, more than 50% of the
population don’t have access to basic
healthcare; this means that women
may struggle to receive breast cancer
advice or diagnosis. BIMA Mobile offers
customers unlimited access to qualified
tele-doctors at affordable prices (from
PKR 43 per month).
and junk food have been linked to breast
cancer before.
The Aging Population
It is of course also entirely possible that
much of this increase is not due to any
increase in the cancer rate overall, but
just because the population is aging. It
is expected over the next few years that
a larger percentage of the population will
be between 60 and 75 years of age. This
is mainly due to wider societal factors
that are beyond the scope of this article.
This increase in age will also lead to an
increase in the incidence of age related
diseases, such as breast cancer which
is most common in post-menopausal
women. So it may be that the rate of
cancer isn’t really increasing, just the
number of people who are at highest risk.
The overall increase in life expectancy
is also a leading cause of the increased
cancer rates, as older people are more
prone to all kinds of cancers.
Contuined on page # 8
TRADE CHRONICLE - Sep - Oct - 2020 - Page # 7