Citizens sign a petition calling for the government to establish a strategy for combating breast cancer and to finish the oncological institute.
The Kosova Center for Fighting Breast Cancer Jeta / Vita (KCFBC), support by KWN, organized a campaign in March to raise awareness among women and society regarding a significant health issue: breast cancer.
Unfortunately, Kosova lacks data regarding the extent of this disease, but evidence from other countries in the region suggests that one in nine or ten women suffer from breast cancer. Cancer represents the most common random cause of mortality among women.
While the number of reports of breast cancer has increased in Kosova, the conditions for prevention, early detection, and treatment are extremely limited. Kosova lacks elementary conditions for fighting breast cancer: an Oncology Institute with qualified medical personnel and necessary equipment; the institutional and social organization for offering treatment; and support for these institutions and programs.
KCFBC and KWN wrote a letter and requested a meeting with the Prime Minister and Minister of Health to call for the establishment of a National Strategy for Combating Breast Cancer; finalization of the construction of the Oncology Institute and making it operational; and more serious engagement of policymakers and the government, especially considering the threat breast cancer poses to so many women.
On 8 March, KWN and KCFBC organized a petition signing, encouraging citizens to call for the implementation of these requests. In addition, KWN and KCFBC representatives appeared in televised debates and roundtables on this topic. KWN also advocated for public service announcements to be shown on national television stations. KOHA Printing House, the Kosova Red Cross, and all media supported this campaign.
