Ministry of Public Health Intensifies Efforts to Promote Breast Cancer Awareness and Early Detection

The Ministry of Public Health intensified its efforts to promote awareness of breast cancer and the importance of its early detection throughout October 2026, in collaboration with the Primary Health Care Corporation, Hamad Medical Corporation, Sidra Medicine and the Qatar Cancer Society.

As part of the 2026 Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, held under the slogan “Your Strength Begins with Early Detection,” the Ministry conducted 13 awareness activities at workplaces, schools and community centres. It also published health messages explaining breast cancer, its associated risk factors and ways to reduce the risk of developing the disease, while encouraging women to undergo regular screening.

The National Cancer Program at the Ministry of Public Health organised an awareness event at the Ministry’s headquarters. It featured a breast cancer awareness pavilion with educational and interactive activities, the distribution of educational materials, and information about the disease, its associated risk factors, the importance of early detection and the services available in the State of Qatar.

The latest data from the National Cancer Registry, according to the Ministry of Public Health, show that 567 breast cancer cases, including localised tumours, were recorded in the State of Qatar in 2023. Of these, 562 cases were among women, accounting for 99.12%, and five were among men, accounting for 0.88%. The registered cases comprised 162 among Qatari citizens, or 28.57%, and 405 among non-Qataris, or 71.43%.

The Ministry also said data from the Cancer Screening Registry at the Qatar Cancer Information Center (QCIC) show that 71,829 mammograms—X-ray imaging of the breast for the early detection of breast cancer—were conducted between 2016 and December 2025. A total of 49,276 women underwent the examination at least once during this period. From January through the end of September 2026, 7,024 women underwent mammography as part of the Breast Cancer Early Detection Program.

Separately, the State of Qatar strengthened its regional and international cooperation to improve the quality of early cancer detection programmes and build national and regional capacities. It collaborated with the Gulf Center for Disease Prevention and Control (Gulf CDC) to implement the Gulf training programme, participated in the Gulf working group on improving the quality of early detection, and presented its experience with monitoring and evaluation systems and systems for inviting beneficiaries, alongside cooperation with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization.

The State of Qatar also took part in consultations for the Global Breast Cancer Initiative, led by the World Health Organization, to review survival-rate estimates and provide national data and technical feedback.

A study published by the Organization in Nature Medicine and covering 194 Member States showed that Qatar ranked in the highest category in the Eastern Mediterranean Region for five-year net survival among women with breast cancer.

The Ministry of Public Health, working with its health-sector partners, is developing prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment services, helping to improve the quality of care provided to cancer patients, health outcomes and patients’ quality of life.

The Ministry confirmed that breast cancer early detection services are available free of charge throughout the year through the National Breast and Bowel Cancer Screening Program at Al Wakra, Leabaib, Rawdat Al Khail and Muaither health centres.

The Ministry urged women aged 45 to 69 who have no symptoms associated with the disease and have not undergone mammography in the past three years to book a free screening appointment and have the examination once every three years. It stressed the importance of early detection in improving the chances of treatment and recovery. Screening appointments can be booked through electronic referrals from physicians, the Nar'aakom App, dedicated online service channels, or by calling the two numbers.

Source: QNA

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