Mobile Mammography Van

As part of the project, a Ugandan medical student was assisted to attend an exchange programme at Yale university, where he studied breast pathology, ultrasound, and mammography, and learned how to read ultrasound scans and mammograms.

In addition to the van itself, public service announcements in Luganda, the local language, are broadcast over the radio urging women to come in for a free screening. Brochures are distributed to provide information about the early signs of cancer, and about the fact that many cancers can be treated. According to organisers, the van is being used not only to perform mammograms, but also to sensitise people about breast cancer and other cancers, as there is currently no other awareness programme focusing on cancer. Women who receive scans are notified if they have suspicious legions, and urged to return to Mulago hospital for further testing and treatment at their own expense. Twenty-two women, who are members of the only breast-cancer survivors' association in Uganda, are also helping with educational efforts.

Women, Health

Organisers say that in Uganda, 95% of women with breast cancer are in the later stages of the disease when they are diagnosed. After noticing a lump they wait, on average, two years before seeking treatment. Prevention plays a critical role in Uganda, where health resources and the number of physicians are limited, so the mobile mammography project will play a key role in early detection of cancer and will help prevent large operations such as mastectomies. In future, the Yale/ Johnson and Johnson Physician Scholars in International Health Programme - which sponsored the student exchange and renovation of the van - plans to create a surgical ward in Mulago hospital and to send a surgical team to support the project's efforts.