Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has donated an ultrasound machine to the Red Crescent to assist its programs to promote early detection and treatment of breast cancer.

“Etihad Airways strongly believes in its responsibility to support our local community,” said Ray Gammell, the airline’s chief people and performance officer.

“Our goal in working with the Red Crescent is to ensure that women throughout the UAE will have access to a potentially life-saving service.”

The Etihad Airways Medical Centre marks global breast cancer awareness month in October each year with a programme to raise awareness of breast cancer among the staff and the community, focusing on the importance of early detection through regular self-examinations and screenings.

In 2012, for the second consecutive year, the medical centre sponsored a mobile mammography unit, operated by Burjeel Hospital, which provided free mammograms to the airline’s female staff and at malls in Abu Dhabi.

The airline decided to allocate the donations to support the Red Crescent’s Rosary Campaign for Breast Cancer Exploration, a mobile clinic providing breast cancer screening and mammographies to women in the remote areas of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Sharjah.

Rashed Mubarak Al Mansouri, deputy secretary general for Local Affairs of the Red Crescent, said: “We consider Etihad Airways as our strategic partner in humanitarian efforts and socially responsible projects, and the donation of this machine that works toward the early detection of breast cancer will help us to reach those who are in remote areas of the country and do not have immediate access to these kinds of vital healthcare services.”

Dr Nadia Bastaki, senior medical officer/clinical lead – Aviation, said: “Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death for women in the UAE, and unfortunately it is usually caught in the late stages. But if we can raise awareness throughout the community and encourage women to be screened at an earlier age, we can start to change those statistics.” – TradeArabia News Service