ISLAMABAD, Sept 28: Over 90,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed every year in Pakistan and the disease causes about 40,000 deaths each year, says a report.

The country spends 0.57 per cent of the GDP on health, which is the lowest in South Asia, says the report “A life worth living,” prepared by the Pink Ribbon Campaign Pakistan ahead of a month-long awareness campaign being launched in October worldwide.

While the unreported cases are expected to be much more, even with the existing figures Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer in Asia.

About one of every nine Pakistani women is likely to suffer from breast cancer at some point in her life, whereas in India it is one in 22, says the report.

Every fifth woman in Pakistan develops breast cancer after the age of 40.

About 77 per cent of invasive breast cancer occurs in women over 50 years of age. The average age at diagnosis is 64.

However, a majority of Pakistani women are reluctant to consult doctors and be examined because of shyness and social customs.

As a result, women are unaware of the dangers of breast cancer, Omar Aftab, National Coordinator of Pink Ribbon Campaign Pakistan, told Dawn on Sunday.He said the organisation was set up in Pakistan in 2004, when the Women’s Empowerment Group observed the astonishingly high breast cancer prevalence here.

It was found that breast cancer was one of the fastest growing national concerns, but was being neglected at all levels due to social and cultural restraints.

A nationwide awareness campaign was initiated to project breast cancer as a premier health concern.

The report says women form about 52 per cent of the population, 68 per cent rural and 32 per cent urban. Overall, female literacy rate is 35 per cent, but 77 per cent of the women have not completed higher secondary school.

The biggest challenge is to direct a message that enunciates early detection and self-diagnosis steps without offending the stern social and cultural beliefs.Poor access to healthcare, lack of medical facilities and infrastructure not only limits the early diagnosis but also hinders treatment.

The government and private hospitals lack resources to provide adequate diagnostic and treatment facilities to the growing number of patients.

The number of specialist physicians, oncologists and radiologists specifically lady doctors is too low and specialised facilities are limited to some main cities.

“The available human resource in the health sector in Pakistan is dismally low as it shows a ratio of 1,254 people per doctor, 2,671 per nurse, 6,235 per midwife and 18,318 per lady health visitor,” the report says.

When women, after overcoming lots of obstacles in the house when reach a hospital for consultation and found that the doctor concerned is not present they find it difficult to visit again.

A delay in diagnosis, in many cases, proves fatal.

In the past, the report says, running a breast cancer awareness campaign in Pakistan also required a change in media’s attitude.

As, even now, research and development are at their lowest and the absence of a cancer registry substantiates this.

There is no official collection of data, analysis and availability of statistics and, therefore, the overall national scenario is vague.