Breast cancer continues to be the most common form of cancer among women in the UAE with 1,030 women diagnosed with breast cancer in the country in 2020, according to Globocan.

• In partnership with the ADPHC and powered by MSD, a leading biopharmaceutical company, the 2022 edition of the ‘Embrace’ campaign will be rolled out this year in collaboration with Deliveroo.

• UAE residents can now spot Deliveroo riders wearing pink uniforms and driving pink bikes delivering their orders across the country. They will spot an educational banner on the app in October and will be given the opportunity to avail of free screening.

United Arab Emirates, October 12, 2022 – The Abu Dhabi Public Health Center (ADPHC) announced today its partnership with MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE: MRK)), a leading global biopharmaceutical company, in its ‘Embrace’ campaign, to raise awareness of breast cancer during the month of October.

The 2022 edition of the campaign is supported by the Department of Health of Abu Dhabi (DoH) and will be rolled out in collaboration with popular food-delivery service Deliveroo, to magnify the breast cancer awareness message to people living in the UAE. Deliveroo app-users and customers will receive educational flyers from the riders delivering their orders throughout the month of October. They will also be given the opportunity to avail of free screening at the Friends of Cancer Patients’ Pink Caravan.

As part of the campaign, free screenings will also be made available at multiple centers in Abu Dhabi including Abu Dhabi Health Services-SEHA, Mubadala Investment Company, NMC Health Care, Mediclinic Middle East, as well as Burjeel group in collaboration with Friends of Cancer Patients (FOCP)’s Pink Caravan, to encourage regular check-ups for early detection.

Her Excellency Dr. Omniyat Al-Hajri, Director of the Community Health Sector Department at the Center said on this occasion: “By joining efforts with the private sector, we aim to raise awareness of the importance of early detection of breast cancer during October, Fighting cancer among the residents of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is among the list of public health priorities that fall under ADPHC initiatives, Breast Cancer Awareness Month aims to raise awareness among women about the disease early detection methods, warning signs of the disease, consulting a doctor, and reporting any changes.” She added, "The healthy lifestyle followed has a key role in achieving community safety, as early detection of the disease is the main factor in reducing deaths”. H.E. concluded: “Abu Dhabi Public Health center recommends that women should get a mammogram screening every 2 years starting at the age of 40, or earlier if breast cancer has presented in the family. Therefore, we would like to urge concerned women to avail of the free screening we are offering this month in Abu Dhabi.”

Ashraf Mallak, Managing Director, MSD GCC said: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer globally and in the UAE today. With patients being at the heart of our efforts, we at MSD are committed to improve long-term disease control and survival for patients living with breast cancer. We continue to invest in oncology research and have developed an immuno-oncology therapy that can be foundational for the treatment of breast cancer. We have a broad program including 1,300 clinical trials underway studying more than 30 tumor types to date.”

“We are committed to play our part in contributing to WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI)[1] and reducing global breast cancer mortality by 2.5% per year, thereby averting 2.5 million breast cancer deaths globally between 2020 and 2040.”

“This year, we are joining forces with the Department of Health of Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Public Health Center, FOCP’s Pink Caravan and Deliveroo to achieve a greater impact in the UAE. We look forward to a successful awareness campaign and encourage women to avail of screening where applicable for breast cancer.”

Anis Harb, General Manager at Deliveroo Middle East said:     “We are honored to be the first food delivery partner to support the ‘Embrace’ breast cancer awareness campaign. We are committed to using our platform to positively impact the lives of our communities and hope that through this collaboration we can make a difference in the lives of our customers.”

Aisha Al Mulla     , Director of Friends of Cancer Patients said: “Breast cancer is a community issue that requires the participation of all segments of society to effectively combat its prevalence. We are delighted to collaborate with MSD and Deliveroo to raise awareness about the importance of early detection. Breast "cancer" early detection is critical because it is associated with higher survival rates. According to the American Cancer Society, when breast cancer is detected early, the 5-year relative survival rate is as high as 99 percent.”[2]

FOCP's Pink Caravan has been traveling across the UAE since 2011, raising awareness about early detection and the disease, providing free screenings and expert medical assistance, promoting healthy lifestyles, and empowering the citizens and residents to protect themselves from the risk of this disease.

The collaboration with Deliveroo comes under MSD's Embrace breast cancer awareness campaign, launched in October 2021 lighting up major landmarks in the UAE with a strong message of hope and courage, and urging for regular mammograms and early detection.

During 2020-2021, the Abu Dhabi Public Health Center has implemented a series of more than 40 virtual sessions that reached to more than 60,000 attendees from Abu Dhabi entities in cooperation with strategic partners such as Abu Dhabi Developmental holding company ADQ, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company – ADNOC, SAAD, ALDAR Group, Daman Health Insurance company, Etihad Airways, Family Development Foundation and Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy ( FBMA ). ADPHC has also dedicated its digital platforms on social media, which contains more than 350 thousand followers, to raise awareness for this program by publishing awareness posts for all viewers, in both Arabic and English languages, in order to facilitate the process of publishing materials.

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