Thirty breast cancer surgeries in a single day.
This is the seemingly simple goal that will have a life-changing effect for the beneficiaries of a Project Flamingo venture taking place on Saturday.
Project Flamingo is a nonprofit organisation committed to bringing equitable breast cancer care to all in SA.
The surgeries will be undertaken at five public hospitals across the Eastern and Western Cape as part of the organisation’s Mandela Day celebrations.
Five teams will be dedicating their time and expertise to performing the pro bono surgeries.
The NPO said in a statement that for the past 14 years it had been performing catch-up surgeries, as well as providing compassionate patient support and advocacy programmes.
“Project Flamingo is rooted in the belief that breast cancer care is a basic human right,” it said.
“SA’s public health system simply cannot manage the patient load, which means that many patients are caught in unacceptably long waiting periods for adequate breast cancer treatment.”
Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among women in SA, with one in eight women at risk of being diagnosed globally in their lifetime.
More than 9,000 new cases are diagnosed in SA annually.
It said the reality of patients being diagnosed late, combined with lack of infrastructure to cope with patient loads nationally curbed the impact of efforts to provide equitable care.
“This record attempt marks a significant milestone in the fight against breast cancer and sets a new benchmark for medical initiatives in SA.
“More than 1,500 surgeries later, [Project Flamingo] is committed more than ever to ensure patients get the care they deserve.”
Each of the five highly skilled teams will include volunteer surgeons and anaesthetists, dedicated theatre nursing staff and Flaminglet medical students.
The selected hospitals are Groote Schuur, Tygerberg, George, Cecilia Makiwane (East London) and Livingstone (Gqeberha).
“By performing 30 surgeries in one day, we aim to help reduce the backlog of patients waiting for life-saving treatment and highlight the critical issue of breast cancer in SA and the importance of early detection and treatment.
“[It will] encourage other organisations and stakeholders to take bold steps in improving cancer care across the country while also doing our bit by training the next generation of doctors in advocacy and cancer care through medical student involvement on the day.”
Overall, the goal was to provide timely, life-saving surgical interventions to breast cancer patients.
“Project Flamingo is rooted in the belief that breast cancer care is a basic human right.
“Surviving breast cancer has a widespread effect on the households and communities in which these women are often the breadwinners, mothers and primary caregivers.”
HeraldLIVE
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