Feb 04, 2022
By the Philips Foundation team
Philips Foundation has successfully provided access to breast cancer screening in the cities of Jabodetabek, Jember, Banjarbaru, Yogyakarta and Padang. Working with Lovepink and Docquity, Philips Foundation enabled free ultrasound breast screening to 1,000 lower-income women in the aforementioned Indonesian cities. “We are very grateful for this great collaboration with the Philips Foundation and Docquity. Through this meaningful event, we found 12 women had lumps in their breasts. Three of them were diagnosed with cancer and two had undergone surgery. This is surely in line with our focus on early detection education and moral support for women with breast cancer, with the aim of reducing the number of advanced stage breast cancer patients,” explained Samantha Barbara, Chairwoman of Yayasan Daya Dara Indonesia (Lovepink). Farida, one of three women diagnosed with breast cancer echoed Samantha’s sentiments; she admitted that she did not realize that the lump on her body was actually cancer. “It all started when I saw the Indonesia Goes Pink 2021 campaign on social media, where one of the programs was to provide free screening for 1,000 women. I immediately registered myself to check the lump on my body,” explained Farida. The results of the examination ultimately led to Farida being diagnosed with stage II cancer enabling her to determine the next steps more quickly.
Through this meaningful event, we found 12 women had lumps in their breasts. Three of them were diagnosed with cancer and two had undergone surgery
Samantha Barbara
Chairwoman of Lovepink
Farida underwent follow-up treatment, surgery, and chemotherapy, with the full support of her family. It was a tough decision, but the desire to recover and the moral support from Farida’s family helped elevate her fears and worries. Based on her experience, Farida realized the importance of both breast self-examination clinical breast examination. “I am grateful to be able to participate in free breast screening through the program held by Philips Foundation and Lovepink. I realized the importance of breast examinations. If it weren’t for me doing these two early interventions, I wouldn’t have known I had breast cancer, potentially to this day. Therefore, I urge and encourage all women to do breast self-examinations and dare to continue doing clinical examinations because, as the saying goes: the sooner, the better,” explained Farida. “Philips Foundation is committed to support the establishment of innovative healthcare solutions to address health issues where essential resources are not available. We are very pleased to see that we made a great impact in our collaborations with Lovepink and Docquity. We will continue to engage in early intervention activities, especially for underserved communities in Indonesia,” says Margot Cooijmans, Director of the Philips Foundation.
Data from Globocan 2020 showed that breast cancer tops the list of new cases among the incidence of cancer as well as all other non-communicable diseases. Therefore, Philips Foundation has continued to encourage Indonesian women to undergo breast self-examinations.
Pim Preesman, President Director of Philips Indonesia, said, “As a health technology company, Philips encourages women to undergo regular screening and consult a doctor to spot the signs of breast cancer. Philips is committed to always providing advanced solutions to support medical professionals in detecting breast cancer and helping to provide a better diagnosis. This way, the care provided is following the patient’s needs.”
Philips Foundation is committed to support the establishment of innovative healthcare solutions to address health issues where essential resources are not available. We are very pleased to see that we made a great impact in our collaborations with Lovepink and Docquity
Margot Cooijmans
Director, Philips Foundation
Philips Indonesia and Philips Foundation will continue to collaborate with strategic organizations, communities, and healthcare facilities in the future to raise awareness for early detection, and close cancer care gaps. This is in line with the theme of World Cancer Day 2022, which falls on February 4: #CloseTheCareGap. The theme promotes health equity for everyone – an equal opportunity for people to reach their full health potential without any barriers or limitations.
June 17, 2024
May 21, 2024