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Paidamoyo Chipunza : Senior Health Reporter
Zimpapers has embarked on a national cancer campaign to increase awareness on prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Zimpapers public relations manager Ms Beatrice Tonhodzayi said the initiative was part of the company’s corporate social responsibility programme. “We note with concern as a corporate that cancer has become quite prevalent, claiming a lot of lives. We therefore believe that as the largest fully integrated media house, we can utilise our muscle across our platforms namely newspapers, social media, broadcasting to raise awareness on cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment,” said Ms Tonhodzayi.
She said since Zimpapers’ forte was content creation and dissemination, the company also recognised efforts by other technical experts working on cancer.
“To this end, we have partnered with Island Hospice, which is a non-governmental organisation offering palliative care to terminally ill patients such as those diagnosed with cancer,” she said.
Ms Tonhodzayi said through the partnership, Zimpapers would be churning out educational articles, programmes and activities promoting cancer prevention and treatment.
“We expect to see a lot of information going out, but also a lot of activities which are meant to ensure that people get the much-needed information.
“We already have a programme on Star FM and we anticipate to see more articles across our media platforms,” she said.
Island Hospice executive director Ms Bev Sebastian said there was still a lot of stigma around cancers, impacting negatively on people’s responsiveness to seeking medical attention.
She said it was critical for people to get information to enable them to make informed choices about their health.
Ms Sebastian said there was also need for intensive lobbying to ensure cancer received the attention and resources it deserved.
“We are not providing what’s needed adequately. We still need to make a lot of noise and lobby for more resources towards cancer,” she said.
Online Reporter
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