To create new models in cancer control and reduce cancer mortality rates, the Ministry of Health of Turkey has built Cancer Early Diagnosis Screening and Training Centres (KETEMs) throughout the country. The KETEMs are equipped with the latest diagnostic equipment and conduct screening programmes for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers. The centres also serve to drive awareness of the importance of prevention and early diagnosis in cancer.
In 2009 Roche supported construction of a KETEM in the capital city of Turkey, Ankara. Today it is one of about 120 KETEMs located throughout the country.
Awareness of the importance of prevention and early diagnosis in increasing the chances of survival is paramount in fighting cancer. So Roche partnered with the Ministry of Health to organise training sessions for healthcare professionals and the public and to improve early stage diagnosis in line with established screening standards.
As part of the drive to raise awareness and encourage people to visit KETEMs, Roche supported the nationwide Blue Bicycle: Hit the Road for Cancer Early Diagnosis campaign in partnership with the Turkish Bicycle Federation and Ministry of Health. Participants in the bike ride, which was held each year from 2006 to 2011, completed six laps of a course that passed through 26 cities, and involved over >10,000 people. Roche made a donation on behalf of each participant to KETEMs in all cities visited by the riders.
During the event, local medical doctors in each city conducted cancer seminars for the public.
Today about 120 KETEMs are operating, at least one in each province integrated into a government hospital. Each KETEM is designed to render services for populations of 250,000. With additional support from partners like the WHO, 280 KETEMs are planned by the end of 2015. This amounts to at least one centre per city where patients can be screened for several cancer types.
|Location||Eastern Europe, Turkey|