Pink Caravan performs 744 free breast cancer screenings on first day

This year's campaign includes mobile clinics offering free walk-in screenings

The Pink Caravan Ride, a UAE-based initiativeseeks to raise awareness of self-examination for breast cancer. AFP

For the first time in the campaign's eight years, Pink Caravan has added a mobile medical clinic and on the first day of operations on Wednesday it carried out 744 screenings.

Equipped with up-to-date mammography facilities, the clinics screened 658 women and 86 men, of them 232 were Emiratis and 512 expatriates.

From the screenings, 505 walk-ins were given the safe card, 206 were referred for a mammogram, while 33 were advised to undergo an ultrasound.
Hundreds of horse riders, volunteers, and medical practitioners took part in the cross-country breast cancer awareness campaign organised by the cancer charity, Friends Of Cancer Patients (FOCP).
The annual seven-day, pan-UAE trek is to increase people's awareness about breast cancer, which affects one in every eight women around the world as well as men.  
Four clinics in Kuwait Hospital, Al Dhaid Hospital, the Directorate of Penal and Correctional Institutions and Al Qarain Health Center offered free screenings through the day from 10am to 6pm.
The fixed medical clinic at Majaz Waterfront, which will still be operating after the ride concludes, carried out awareness activities like a 7km Pink Strides Walkathon and Pink Caravan Roadshow. A number of children's activities were also organised.
During the third dayon Friday, riders will proceed to Dubai in a 6km ride from Jumeirah to Etihad Museum. The day will see two special events, the Pink Regatta at The Palm, and a Junior Fun Day at the Al Qudra Lakes that will entail a junior horse ride, bike rides, and lots more.
The weeklong horse ride is travelling across the seven emirates until March 6, offering free breast cancer screenings and raising awareness about the disease by emphasising on the significance of early detection.