DUBAI // Women working for Dubai Health Authority were told yesterday that they are to have mandatory screenings for breast cancer.
The initiative, announced by Qadhi Saeed al Mrooshid, the authority's director general, as it launched an awareness campaign, will also apply to new female staff.
The programme, in which hundreds of women will be screened, will start in two weeks.
It is hoped that "leading by example" will encourage other women to have screenings and make them aware of the risks if they do not.
"The biggest problem is lack of awareness, so our aim is to educate and create awareness," said Mr al Mrooshid.
"We need to go beyond the hospital and reach the female population in the UAE.
"All females working in the Dubai Health Authority will be leading this initiative by going through the screening themselves.
"This is a must. Not just for the current employees, but prospective employees as well. This will be mandatory."
Breast cancer is the second most deadly cancer, after lung cancer, in the UAE. It accounts for 28 per cent of all female deaths. Forty-four per cent of cases are fatal, according to Health Authority-Abu Dhabi.
Dr Zaid al Mazam, consultant and head of the breast unit at Rashid Hospital, said of 200 cases of breast illnesses investigated over the past year, cancer was diagnosed in 50. Three of the patients were male.
Referring to the mandatory screenings, Dr al Mazam said: "This is the only way to bring attention to the issue, otherwise we will not be able to spread awareness.
"With this disease, there is a high chance, as much as 98 per cent, that it can be cured if caught at the beginning.
"Unfortunately, though, the ladies in our society are coming to us with second stage and later, where the situation is much worse."
Women who were on duty at the hospital yesterday supported the mandatory screenings.
"I think it is very important to do something like this," said Nawal Abou Mustafa, who works in the case management department.
"It may stop something major from developing, and it is helpful to do this.
"Women should be doing this from the start, and I feel that every member of staff should be involved so they know more about the subject. With these screenings we can avoid and control any problems."
Such an initiative should spread to other government departments, she said, as it would set an example to other women to do the same.
The week-long awareness campaign is aimed at schools, government departments, and women's health clubs and social clubs.
Health workers will demonstrate how to conduct self-examinations and what irregularities to look for.
"There is a lack of education with this disease," said Mr al Mrooshid.
While doctors were capable of dealing with the disease, people were not taking enough action, he added.
"We need direct contact to alert them to the dangers of this disease," he said.
Dr al Mazam said: "Women between 20 and 40 should go for a breast check-up every three years. Those over 40 years should get a mammogram on a yearly basis."
The hospital said if a lump was found, there was an 80 per cent chance that it would be benign.
But, around the world, breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 45 and 55.
nsamaha@thenational.ae
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Lecce v SPAL (6pm)
Bologna v Genoa (9pm)
Atlanta v Roma (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Hellas Verona (3.30pm)
Juventus v Brescia (6pm)
Sampdoria v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sassuolo v Parma (6pm)
Cagliari v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Torino (11.45pm)
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
