Women with Disabilities Face Barriers to Breast Cancer Screening
Despite extensive awareness campaigns, including the "Octobre Rose" initiative, and efforts to combat cancer in Tunisia, women with disabilities encounter numerous obstacles that limit their participation in early breast cancer screening.
Limited Access to Healthcare Information
Specialists and civil society members in the field of disability highlight that women with disabilities often have limited knowledge of health culture due to social stigma and restricted access to healthcare services. "These women do not have access to information about healthcare, and awareness campaigns are occasional or linked to specific events," they noted.
International Conventions and National Efforts
Tunisia has ratified several international conventions on the rights of persons with disabilities, guaranteeing access to healthcare without discrimination. However, the participation of women with disabilities in early breast cancer screening programs remains low.
Obstacles to Screening
The president of the Tunisian Association for the Defense of the Rights of People with Disabilities, Yousri Mazzati, emphasized that women with disabilities often lack access to health information, particularly regarding early screening for female cancers. He noted that most women with visual, auditory, or motor disabilities face obstacles such as insufficient information, lack of family awareness, and socio-economic factors.
Need for Sensitization and Budget Allocation
Mazzati called for the need to raise awareness about the importance of early cancer screening among people with disabilities and their families through media channels. He also stressed the importance of allocating a larger share of the health budget to people with disabilities and organizing awareness campaigns on a permanent basis.
Communication Barriers between Healthcare Professionals and People with Disabilities
The president of the Tunisian Association "Ibssar for the Culture and Leisure of Visually Impaired People," Mohamed Mansouri, highlighted the absence of effective communication between healthcare professionals and people with disabilities due to a lack of adapted communication means.
Training Healthcare Professionals
Mansouri explained that it is necessary to train healthcare professionals in methods of communication with people with disabilities, such as teaching sign language and using Braille for medical prescriptions. This would enable individuals to understand health information autonomously and with dignity.
Empowering People with Disabilities through Self-Examination
Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics and Head of the Obstetrics and Neonatology Center in Tunis, Dalenda Chelli, emphasized that the "Octobre Rose" event concerns all women, regardless of their specific needs. She noted that self-examination of the breasts is an effective method that can be taught to women with auditory, visual, or motor disabilities, even if its implementation may be challenging in some cases.
Raising Awareness and Improving Accessibility
Chelli stressed the importance of raising awareness among women with disabilities about the early signs of breast cancer, such as changes in breast size, nipple discharge, or the appearance of a mass in the breast. She called on women to seek immediate medical attention if they notice any of these signs. Chelli also highlighted the need to improve accessibility to public hospitals for women with motor disabilities, citing the lack of adapted infrastructure and equipment as a major obstacle to screening.
