Outreach is set to ensure that people living in remote areas are properly diagnosed and referred to specialists early on. In Saudi Arabia, like in many other countries, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. According to the National Cancer Registry, it also ranks first in incidence among all cancer types, followed by colorectal cancer. Because many cancers still remain undiagnosed, Outreach places big emphasis on raising awareness to the disease and on improving screening

Outreach was kicked off in Bisha, located north of the Southern part of Saudi Arabia. Some 240 villages spread out on both sides of the Bisha Valley, which is the largest in the Arabian Pensinsula.

That was done under supervision of Dr. Saeed Alghamdi, general supervisor of King Abdul Aziz hospital in Bisha, Roche Saudi in collaboration with Saudi Cancer Foundation had launched the OUTREACH program, aiming for better education for primary care physicians in rural areas of Saudi Arabia.

This education is achieved through interactive workshop through one day organized by Consultants (Medical oncologists, surgeons, radiologists and palliative therapist) with the sole aim to better elaborate on the cancer diagnosis and detection which will help patients in those far areas to have the chance to be early detected, referred to treating oncologist, diagnosed and given the chance to get access to treatment and eventually the chance to be cured depending on his illness status.

Awareness activities already yielded pleasing results. Female patients in these remote regions will soon benefit from proximity care through the specialized services of a new breast cancer clinic in Bisha’s Main Hospital, the opening of which had already been planned but was accelerated as a result of the awareness campaign to which Roche contributed

A series of similar meeting will be held in this context with the same objectives in different cities in Saudi Arabia and we are all sure that such project can raise the healthcare service quality and has a direct impact on patients' health