Healthcare trio collaborates to provide thousands of free breast scans

According to the World Health Organization, 2.3 million women worldwide were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, with 685,000 of them dying from the disease. Breast cancer is also the most common cancer among women in almost all countries within Asia, with Vietnam alone reporting 21,500 new cases and 9,000 deaths in the same year.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a worldwide health campaign observed by many countries around the world to increase awareness of the disease, including its prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

To mark the event, GE Healthcare and its partner, TD Medical, collaborated with the Vinmec Healthcare System on a community outreach programme to provide free breast scans at 26 on-site screening centres located in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Haiphong, Halong, Danang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc. The trio is targeting to provide 8,000 free breast scans by the end of 2022.

The centres, which are located within the vicinity of Vinhomes managed properties and Vinschool operated schools, will also offer educational workshops on the importance of early diagnosis and regular self-examinations.

“Vinmec is a leading hospital in Vietnam with a dedicated breast cancer specialist clinic, and GE Healthcare is pleased to partner them and TD Medical to promote awareness of the disease and the importance of early detection and diagnosis. As a global leader in healthcare technologies and solutions, we are fully dedicated to supporting the government and our industry partners in achieving their healthcare objectives by improving the quality of precision medicine in the country," said Son Pham, country general manager for Vietnam at GE Healthcare.

"This collaboration will also help us become a key player in the fight against breast cancer and enable better outcomes for both healthcare professionals and patients,”

Le Thuy Anh, CEO of Vinmec Healthcare System said, "Vinmec believes that providing information and early screening for breast cancer can help reduce the burden on patients and the community, increase treatment efficiency, and improve the quality of life. By working with GE Healthcare and their partners on this initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and providing education workshops, we aim to improve the value and accessibility of quality healthcare for women and the community.”

The programme is not the first for GE Healthcare in Southeast Asia. Earlier this year, the company partnered with Indonesian Brawijaya Saharjo Hospital to introduce a mobile breast screening bus featuring a portable ultrasound system.

The bus made stops at all Brawijaya hospitals in Jakarta to provide advanced breast cancer screening and education services to patients and the public. The initiative was supporting the Indonesian Ministry of Health’s breast cancer management strategy, which focuses on health promotion, early detection, and case management.

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