Pink Day in Valletta

A voluntary organisation will be collecting signatures in Valletta today to petition the government to introduce a national breast screening programme.

The Pink Day event, organised by the Action for Breast Cancer Foundation in Freedom Square, is intended to encourage women to protect themselves against breast cancer.

The foundation said muffins, provided by Jesper's Bakery, will be handed out to those who make a donation. A fitness walk will be held between 11 a.m. and noon and people taking part will be asked to donate €5.

After the walk, participants will be given a toning tube, which will be used in fitness exercises at the Upper Barakka Gardens.

Meanwhile, the National Council of Women is recommending that effective education, prevention and treatment of breast cancer should form part of a national strategy.

Early detection measures for young women and the extension of services beyond the age of 59 are also necessary, it argues. This could be achieved by pooling government resources, services offered in private hospitals and the expertise of NGOs.

While aware of the huge expenses involved in making the Herceptin drug available for free, the council said it supports the government's commitment to tackle breast cancer.