Icanserve event: Ating Dibdibin

ICanServe has partnered with Marikina City, through Mayor Marides Fernando, for its flagship program,"Ating Dibdibin,"  the first community based  breast cancer screening program in the country.

Launched on June 6, Ating Dibdibin's first salvo was made possible via a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed between Mayor Fernando and the ICanServe Foundation represented by its founding president, Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala. 
  
This is a very vital program for a country with the highest incidence of breast cancer in Southeast Asia. 

Lea Salonga, multiawarded singer and actress leads the information campaign designed and produced by volunteers of the Jimenez Basic ad agency.

To prepare for the program, ICanServe with the help of Dr. Corazon Ngelangel, oncologist, cancer screening advocate, trained the medical staff, barangay and family health workers on early breast cancer detection techniques so they could teach the female residents of Marikina. During training, each participant also received free clinical breast exam.

Dr. Karen de la Cruz, organizational psychologist, former volunteer for the Philippine Cancer Society, honed the skills of breast cancer survivors including ICanServe members on public speaking and empathy. 

Catering to women aged 20 to 75, the program aims to reach about 54,000  through barangay assemblies and various venues such as schools, private hospitals, sociocivic organizations, and homeowner associations.

Ating Dibdibin aims to fight ignorance and the fear women have of cancer, in order to make breast self exam a lifetime habit. It ultimately wants women to take charge of their health. Hopefully at the end of many years, breast cancer will be caught in its earlier stages.

Under the MOA, both Marikina and ICanServe have committed to help source funds for women who will test positive for breast cancer.

Ating Dibdibin is a program under the auspices of the American Cancer Society made possible by a grant from Pfizer Foundation USA and Pfizer Philippines.

ICanServe is paving the way for an agreement between Marikina City's Diagnostic & Specialty Center and Amang Rodriguez to join forces to help women diagnosed with breast cancer. Biopsy and surgery may be provided by Amang Rodriguez, while Marikina's Diagnostic &Specialty Center can put together a kit which contains paraphernalia for surgery & biopsy – to be given free. 

Good Shepherd Laboratory & Health Diagnostics Services, Inc., a private health provider specializing in laboratory and other health diagnostic examinations  has tied up with ICanServe to offer free screening and breast care lectures in Marikina private schools and civic organizations. 

On June 6, all day screening was offered to all female employees of Marikina City Hall after the formal launch of Ating Dibdibin. Clinical breast examination was conducted by the city's 16 medical staff doctors and nurses.  

American Cancer Society lauds Ating Dibdibin 

Loyce Pace of the American Cancer Society Washington office visited Marikina City on June 26 to show support for "Ating Dibdibin," the national breast cancer screening pilot program, a collaboration between Marikina City and the ICanServe Foundation.

Ms. Pace met with Marikina City Mayor Marides Fernando to discuss the different ways Marikina can strengthen the program. Mayor Fernando told her that the Amang Rodriguez Medical Center will donate its three year old mammography machine . The medical center through its medical director Dr. Ricardo Lustre also committed to giving free biopsies for suspicious breast lumps and free surgery to its underinsured residents.

To emphasize the city's commitment, Mayor Fernando said she would include a breast cancer screening section in the health passport each Marikina household is issued. The passport is a tool to track medical check ups of the residents and to ensure they avail of the different medical benefits the city offers.

Mayor Fernando plans to present "Ating Dibdibin" in the next Assembly and Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities in October in Japan. Marikina has been a consistent winner of the Health City Award given by the World Health Organization.

Equally committed were the private medical community of Marikina led by Dr. Arnel Enriquez of the Good Shepherd Clinic. At the onset, he offered discounted breast ultrasound for Ating Dibdibin, the flagship project of ICanServe.

Ms. Pace met with the City Health officers led by Dr. Albert Herrera in the new Marikina Diagnostics Clinic and saw the new site ofthe breast clinic, the future mammography machine and designated room of the breast cancer support group that ICanServe will help set up.

Ms. Pace lauded the efforts of ICanServe and its progress over a mere six month period. This included a commissioned study of the Good Thinking research team measuring awareness and attitudes of Marikina women regarding breast cancer. Also completed were training of 200 Marikina medical staff and community health workers, cancer survivor volunteers, and the forging of ties with the different sectors of Marikina willing to bolster the Ating Dibdibin pilot. Community assemblies will soon begin.

Ms. Pace pledges more technical support for the program which aims to facilitate breast cancer screening for some 57,000 women.

Ating Dibdibin aims to fight ignorance and the fear women have of cancer, in order to make breast self exam and clinical exams a lifetime habit. It ultimately wants women to take charge of their health. Hopefully at the end of many years, breast cancer will be caught in its earlier stages.

Under a Memorandum of Agreement, both Marikina and ICanServe have committed to help source funds for women who will test positive for breast cancer. Ating Dibdibin is a program under the auspices of the American Cancer Society made possible by a grant from Pfizer Foundation USA and Pfizer Philippines.

Read the latest on Ating Dibdibin here.

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