SINGAPORE – Mount Elizabeth Hospital (MEH) will fully sponsor 120 financially needy Singaporean women who need cancer treatment.
The first phase of the programme will provide diagnosis, treatment and/or surgery for these women with breast cancer over the next two years, said a press statement from MEH today.
Singaporean women who hold a valid blue Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) card and have tested positive in breast cancer screening or are in need of breast cancer treatment can apply for the sponsorship.
“Breast cancer is the number one cancer among Singaporean women. Close to 9,300 women in Singapore were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2010 and 2014. Over 400 women fail to overcome the disease each year. We believe the mortality rates can be lowered with early diagnosis and treatment. Our efforts can make a difference, especially among women who may have deferred medical attention due to financial difficulties,” said Mr Phua Tien Beng, chief executive officer of MEH.
The programme was lauched today with a $1.2 million fund that is under its Life Renewed Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
Besides partnering with Parkway Cancer Centre (PCC) to provide treatment to the beneficiaries, MEH is also in talks with voluntary welfare organisations to identify suitable potential beneficiaries.
A multidisciplinary team of oncologists and surgeons from MEH and PCC have so far opted into the programme to treat successful applicants.
One of these doctors, Dr Tan Yah Yuen, general surgeon at MEH, said: “Depending on the patient’s cancer stage and subtype, breast cancer survival rates can be over 90 per cent if discovered and treated early. It is therefore very important to seek prompt medical advice if you discover a breast lump or if your mammogram results turn up positive. Putting off immediate medical attention can worsen the condition, necessitating more complex or prolonged treatment and reducing cure rate.”
Dr Tan recently operated on 83-year-old Mdm Lim, the programme’s first beneficiary. The patient was discharged two days after surgery and is now recovering well.
“While the majority of abnormalities picked up at mammogram screenings turn out to be benign, there is a small group of patients who would require further diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, there are some women who delay seeking medical advice due to lack of financial means,” said Dr See Hui Ti, senior consultant in medical oncology at PCC.
“We hope that through this programme, we can help this group of patients.”
Interested applicants can write in to mpac@parkway.sg or call 6250 0000 during office hours for further enquiry. Details on subsequent phases of the Life Renewed programme will be announced when ready.
spanaech@sph.com.sg
