Breast Cancer
Taskforce
of the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad
Report of the Chairman - 2002
Dr Louis J. Auguste MD FACS
The Breast Cancer Taskforce was created by decision of the President of the AMHE
and the Central Committee of the same association. The goal of the taskforce is
to coordinate the efforts of the AMHE and its members, so that the outcome of
this disease in our community can be improved. The taskforce aims at designing
programs
- To provide the latest update in breast
cancer care to the Haitian physicians
- To educate the lay Haitian population
about the disease, its epidemiology, its presentation, its early detection and
its treatment.
- To organize screening programs in the
needy segments of the population in Haiti as well as the Diaspora.
- To offer all possible educational and
technological support for the care of breast cancer in Haiti
In its first year of operation, the
taskforce has focused on the creation of a breast cancer awareness and screening
program in Haiti. This issue will be taken up at the upcoming Annual Convention
of the Societe Haitienne d'Oncologie (SHONC) in July 2002, at El Rancho Hotel,
Petionville. This meeting will gather under one roof multiple groups with direct
or indirect interest in breast cancer, namely:
- a. SHONC
- b. Ligue Contre le Cancer
- c. GSCC (Groupe de Support Contre le
Cancer)
- d. Haitian Ministry of Health
- e. Association des Medecins Haitiens
- f. Members of the written and spoken
media
- g. Representatives of AMHE
In order to properly approach the
problem in the Haitian context, it was important to first understand it from the
point of view of the Haitian woman. Therefore, a survey was carried out with the
help of Margarett Osselyn-Abrams, M.D. of 300 women of the region of
Petionville, as well as 100 primary care physicians and specialists. These
results will be presented at the Annual Convention. They will help in
determining strategies for the education of the population, via the radio and TV
stations. At the convention, guidelines will be also discussed for the
practicing physicians in Haiti, given the economic and social context, stressing
the need for breast self-examination, annual medical examination and mammograms
and breast sonograms. It is expected that this meeting will leave in place a
permanent, albeit limited, structure for the education and the screening of the
population for Breast Cancer.
Effort over the next years will focus on securing funding through AMHE fund
raising and grants from philanthropic organisations to maintain this program and
extend it to other areas of the country.
