Praneeta Prakash 
Fijians are being urged to take proactive steps in fighting breast cancer as the nation marks Pinktober, the annual breast cancer awareness month.
Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran Speaking in Parliament today, Kiran emphasized that Pinktober is more than just pink ribbons and campaigns, it is a national call to action to protect lives.
She says according to the Global Cancer Observatory, the three leading cancers among women in Fiji are breast, cervical, and thyroid cancer.
“These numbers remind us that breast cancer affects women and men of all ages, and the impact on families and communities can be profound. This is why we must act — because early detection saves lives. But early detection is only possible when our women and men are empowered with knowledge, screening, treatment, and counselling. So I urge our leaders in this house, in our communities to use Pinktober to create conversations and awareness, remove stigma and encourage screening and detection.”
She says data from the Ministry of Health indicates that between 2013 and 2022, 2,517 women were diagnosed with breast cancer.
In 2022 alone, there were about 355 new cases, of which ninety-eight percent were women and two percent were men.
The youngest recorded patient was just 17- years- old.
Kiran says in the same year, 541 women lost their lives to the three leading cancers, with 182 of those deaths caused by breast cancer.
She says the Fiji Cancer Society registers 10 to 15 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients each month in the Central Division alone.
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