The aim of the partnership between the Verein für Afghanistanförderung e.V. and the Afghanistan Surgeons Society – West is to establish a breast cancer centre in Herat, Afghanistan. To this end, the predecessor project is set to be continued in order to strengthen the centre’s capacities with the help of training courses for doctors.
Background:
Afghanistan is affected by a dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Although a range of breast cancer awareness campaigns have been conducted in the capital, there is a lack of awareness of the primary signs and symptoms of breast cancer, as well as a lack of necessary diagnostic facilities and trained doctors. Many patients do not consult a doctor until a late stage, which greatly limits their chances of survival.
Activities:
-\tSupplying the centre with an ultrasound machine and performing a breast ultrasound on 1,500
women with suspected breast cancer
-\tProviding Afghan doctors with breast cancer training
-\tExpanding the capacity of the existing tumour board through on-site visits and virtual networking of
similar boards in Germany
-\tHolding educational seminars to raise awareness among women regarding the early symptoms of
breast cancer
Impact:
The project aims to strengthen the diagnostic and therapeutic facilities for female cancer patients in order to give more Afghan women access to diagnosis and treatment.