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Tendai Rupapa, Harare Bureau
THOUSANDS of female members of the Zion Christian Church yesterday underwent cervical and breast cancer screening in Masvingo as part of a nationwide campaign steered by First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa.
The First Lady started the national cancer awareness campaigns after engaging the Ministry of Health and Child Care.
According to the ministry, following the First Lady’s intervention, the number of women who are being screened has soared from 4 000 per month to 20 000.
The ZCC leadership asked the First Lady to bring her campaign to their anual “Ungano Yembeu” ceremony, which takes place before the summer cropping.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the First Lady are billed to grace the ceremony today, where cancer screening will continue.
A mobile clinic supplied by the Health Ministry is being used for the screening.
The First Lady, who is a member of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV and Aids, has been championing national and international health advocacy.
ZCC leader Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi yesterday said, “First of all we want to thank the First Lady for accepting our invitation. We want our female members to undergo breast and cervical cancer screening.
We have seen Amai going around the country doing motherly duties and we decided to invite her here. We wanted her to render to us the same services she is rendering to others so that our women benefit.
She is a true mother of the nation and that is what a mother of the nation should be doing. The women are so eager to get screened and they are so happy.”
Family health director in the Health Ministry Dr Bernard Madzima added: “The First Lady has led the advocacy campaign since the beginning of year. As the Ministry of Health and Child Care, we are so happy that her advocacy has seen numbers for screening going four-fold from 4 000 per month to 20 000. We are set to meet our target of screening every woman between 30-49 at least once in their lifetime.”
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