IBI West Manggarai Maximizes The Role Of Midwives In Early Detection Of Breast Cancer

Chairperson of the West Manggarai IBI Branch Management Alfrida Onati Chair while attending a Breast Cancer Early Detection Seminar/Photo: Antara

LABUAN BAJO - The Indonesian Midwives Association (IBI) of the West Manggarai Branch encourages the role of midwives to carry out early detection of breast cancer in the people of West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara.

"In the context of IBI's birthday, we ask all colleagues to go to remote areas to increase socialization and take a closer approach to the community. We emphasize the technique of a midwife to communicate and dig deeper", said Chairman of the IBI West Manggarai Branch Management, Alfrida Onati Ketua after attending the Seminar on Early Detection of Breast Cancer in Context of IBI's 71st Anniversary at the West Manggarai Regional Secretariat Hall, Labuan Bajo, Friday, June 24.

From IBI West Manggarai data, there are 30 cases of breast cancer occurring in the 2020-2022 time span. However, Alfrida said that this figure was a recorded case, while many other cases were not recorded because women were reluctant to get themselves checked.

Seeing this phenomenon, IBI West Manggarai rushed to strengthen the capacity of midwives including other women's organizations in West Manggarai to be aware of the importance of early detection of breast cancer.

In the moment of celebrating its 71st anniversary, IBI invited the Surgical Specialist at Komodo Labuan Bajo Hospital Theresia Ira Setiawan to provide material on the early detection of breast cancer to members of IBI West Manggarai and all women's organizations in West Manggarai.

Through early detection, women can find out the symptoms they are experiencing and seek appropriate help, namely to a health center, not alternative medicine.

"People assume that if there is a lump in the breast it must be cancer. In fact, it's not like that", Alfrida added.

She hopes that midwives can carry out the role and function of a midwife to provide quality services. She said midwives have a strategic role in a woman's life cycle, starting from being in the womb to becoming an elderly person.

Therefore, through good communication patterns, midwives can approach breast cancer services for patients, so that women can make early detection and are not shy in submitting complaints related to the disease.

"I hope that the services provided by midwives are really of high quality so that all generations are handled professionally", she said.