To commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, First Capital Bank Botswana announced their partnerships with Journey of Hope Botswana, Medlane Healthcare & Village Imaging in a nationwide Breast Cancer Prevention Programme.
The Bank donated P335,000 towards the fight against breast cancer. Breast cancer remains the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Botswana, largely due to late diagnosis. First Capital Bank says it recognises this plight, and has sponsored 130 mammograms to be facilitated by Medlane Healthcare & Village Imaging. The Bank is also contributing P190,000 towards outreach initiatives and donated P25,000 towards the Journey of Hope Big Journey that took place at the end of August 2022.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Dr. Hajra Mahomed-Tajbhai, First Capital Bank Chief of Staff/Head of Marketing & Communications, expressed that, โWe are proud to have partnered with the two medical partners, Medlane Healthcare and Village Imaging, who are the first in the country to have Mobile Mammography Units. With our commitment to invest in and support the communities that we operate in, we found it imperative to make these strategic partnerships so that we can support breast cancer awareness and make the medical services accessible to men and women all around Botswana.โ
On behalf of Journey of Hope Botswana, Onica Lekuntwane, Journey of Hope Coordinator, expressed that โIt is due to the kind support from First Capital Bank that we were able to reach our target of 2500 men and women in one week, where we assisted with breast cancer screening and the distribution of educational material during the Big Journey.โ Thapelo Letsholo, Village Imaging Operating Manager, expressed that โFor all types of cancer, early detection is the best protection. With the funding received from First Capital Bank, we hope to screen women around the country with our mobile unit that houses both a mammography and ultrasound machine, and bring early detection to the communities around Botswana.โ
When accepting the donation on behalf of Medlane Healthcare, Dr. Noorain Lottering, Hospital Superintendent/Medical Director, shared that โMedlane is passionate about making a difference to the lives of Batswana through both medicine and health education empowerment. By taking mammography directly to the people in conjunction with educational sessions we are able to teach Batswana about this disease, identify it early on and seek treatment and thus reduce fatalities. This gamechanging collaboration in the fight against breast cancer is not only going to change lives, but save lives.โ โOur partnership intends to change the already-high statistics, so that more cases are diagnosed earlier when they are cheaper and easier to treat,โ said Mahomed-Tajbhai. โWe aim to make a difference in the communities we manage and encourage more people to support this critical causeโ.
