Beni Mellal: Regional Oncology Center Launches Awareness Program for “Pink October”

Beni Mellal – The Beni Mellal Regional Oncology Center, in partnership with the “Ikhaa” association, has launched an integrated awareness program highlighting the importance of early breast cancer screening, as part of the “Pink October” celebrations, the international breast cancer awareness month.

Under the theme “Early Detection… for a Better Life,” this comprehensive program, running throughout October, includes various medical and awareness activities designed to promote health education and provide multidimensional support to patients.

The program was launched on Monday with an Open House, which provided an opportunity to welcome visitors and offer comprehensive explanations about breast cancer. Tours of the Center’s various departments were also organized to facilitate direct contact with healthcare professionals.

The program also includes an awareness day on the importance of nutrition for cancer patients, led by a dietician, followed by a blood donation drive to support patients (October 13), and a religious awareness day led by a member of the Beni Mellal Local Council of Ulema (October 20).

These activities will culminate in a large-scale breast cancer screening campaign (October 24), including clinical examinations, medical consultations, and close support from a specialized healthcare team.

In a statement to MAP, the director of the Beni Mellal Regional Oncology Center, Dr. Nadia Filali, indicated that the color pink, which adorns the world during this month, symbolizes “strength, hope, and solidarity” with women battling cancer. The Center has scheduled intensive early detection campaigns, convinced that detecting the disease in its initial stages greatly facilitates the treatment process and increases the cure rate to over 90%, she explained, urging women to get screened regularly.

The Center’s approach is not limited solely to curative medical treatment, but also includes psychological support workshops, as well as workshops of a religious and spiritual nature, in addition to strengthening the values ​​of solidarity through blood donation campaigns, Dr. Filali stated.

For her part, Naima, a survivor of the disease, emphasized the crucial importance of early detection for a successful treatment journey, recounting her personal experience which began in 2017 when she discovered the disease in its early stages thanks to screening. She stressed the need for women of all ages to perform self-exams and regular screenings, and not to hesitate to consult a doctor at the first sign of any unusual symptoms.

In a similarly moving testimony, another survivor called on women to be courageous and not fear the disease, affirming that strong willpower and unwavering determination, combined with family support and psychological guidance, are decisive factors in overcoming the ordeal of treatment and achieving a full recovery.

It should be noted that the Regional Oncology Center (CRO), which opened on January 15, 2019, in the municipality of Oulad Mbarek (12 km from Béni Mellal), is a referral center under the Regional Hospital Center. Built on a 3,215 m² site at a total cost of 85 million dirhams, the CRO employs 80 healthcare and administrative staff. It provides therapeutic care, prevention, and palliative care to patients in the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region and other areas.