the new times, rwanda
breast cancer patients have renewed hopes after king faisal hospital in kigali secured a high-tech machine to help doctors detect the disease. the mammography machine, which uses x-ray images of the affected breast, helps physicians to detect and evaluate breast cancer at an early stage. it is part of the newly procured medical apparatus from a $12 million grant, which saudi arabia offered to king faisal hospital. the grant extended which had been promised last year is meant for expansion and stocking of the hospital with modern equipment to upgrade into a referral hospital. dr. etienne uwimana, the head of radiology department, said: “breast cancer among african women has been there but lack of medical equipment for physicians to detect it remains a major stumbling block.” he said the new gadget will complement the already existing cancer detecting technology using an echography device which relies on ultra-sound waves.
this story, taken from an august 2007 article which appears in rwanda's largest daily newspaper, highlights the discrepancy between developing and developed countries when it comes to the early detection of breast cancer. incredibly, diagnostic tools that we take for granted in the united states are just now filtering into other places around the world, creating further imbalance between rich and poor. the unequal access to quality medical care places an undue burden on those who can least afford it (not that anyone is well equipped to deal with an unfortunate diagnosis). but in countries like rwanda, a woman who is suffering with breast cancer presumably has many children at home, a lack of funds to deal with the health crisis (and resulting chaos in the family), and is far removed from any treatment center, no matter how rudimentary it may be. [in the countryside of rwanda, a person is considered well off if they own a bicycle, explaining the constant stream of people walking along the side of the road at any given moment].
it's easy to complain about the systems we have in place in the west - a strange agglomeration of layers, as seen here in the u.s. (with it's own inequities), or the more homogeneous socialized methods of canada and the united kingdom. but in most cases, the equipment and skilled professionals are around in some format ... whether or not the populace is able to access them in a timely matter is another issue.
and while we take it for granted that imbibing a glass of red wine a day, or eating our fiber, or running on a treadmill for 30 minutes will help us stay healthier and last a bit longer, in reality we are just 'tweaking'. in developing nations, they don't have the luxury of taking three daily meals for granted, nor can they rely on enforced codes of physical exercise to improve their lot. their conditions, their lives, are seemingly completely dependent on things that they have no control over ... it must be an incredible leap of faith just to face a new day.
breast cancer patients have renewed hopes after king faisal hospital in kigali secured a high-tech machine to help doctors detect the disease. the mammography machine, which uses x-ray images of the affected breast, helps physicians to detect and evaluate breast cancer at an early stage. it is part of the newly procured medical apparatus from a $12 million grant, which saudi arabia offered to king faisal hospital. the grant extended which had been promised last year is meant for expansion and stocking of the hospital with modern equipment to upgrade into a referral hospital. dr. etienne uwimana, the head of radiology department, said: “breast cancer among african women has been there but lack of medical equipment for physicians to detect it remains a major stumbling block.” he said the new gadget will complement the already existing cancer detecting technology using an echography device which relies on ultra-sound waves.
this story, taken from an august 2007 article which appears in rwanda's largest daily newspaper, highlights the discrepancy between developing and developed countries when it comes to the early detection of breast cancer. incredibly, diagnostic tools that we take for granted in the united states are just now filtering into other places around the world, creating further imbalance between rich and poor. the unequal access to quality medical care places an undue burden on those who can least afford it (not that anyone is well equipped to deal with an unfortunate diagnosis). but in countries like rwanda, a woman who is suffering with breast cancer presumably has many children at home, a lack of funds to deal with the health crisis (and resulting chaos in the family), and is far removed from any treatment center, no matter how rudimentary it may be. [in the countryside of rwanda, a person is considered well off if they own a bicycle, explaining the constant stream of people walking along the side of the road at any given moment].
it's easy to complain about the systems we have in place in the west - a strange agglomeration of layers, as seen here in the u.s. (with it's own inequities), or the more homogeneous socialized methods of canada and the united kingdom. but in most cases, the equipment and skilled professionals are around in some format ... whether or not the populace is able to access them in a timely matter is another issue.
and while we take it for granted that imbibing a glass of red wine a day, or eating our fiber, or running on a treadmill for 30 minutes will help us stay healthier and last a bit longer, in reality we are just 'tweaking'. in developing nations, they don't have the luxury of taking three daily meals for granted, nor can they rely on enforced codes of physical exercise to improve their lot. their conditions, their lives, are seemingly completely dependent on things that they have no control over ... it must be an incredible leap of faith just to face a new day.
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