The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has announced the launch of a call centre for its Breast and Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.

Those who would like to know more about the programme and to book an appointment for the screening can contact the call centre on 800 1112.

Last month, PHCC had announced the launch of the breast and bowel screening programme that will come into effect this month, most probably from January 17 at Al Wakra Breast & Bowel Cancer Screening Centre.

This will be followed by the launch of a Mobile Unit as well as the Breast & Bowel Cancer Screening Centres in Leabaib and Rawdat Al Khail health centres.

The call centre, along with a user-friendly website, provides added convenience for the public to schedule cancer screening appointments.

Operated by highly trained and qualified English and Arabic speaking staff and medical professionals, the call centre is not only designed to receive calls and respond to enquiries but also to proactively reach out to individuals who are already in the database of PHCC and the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).

For bowel cancer screening, call centre staff will promote the screening service, discuss the screening pathway and provide participants with the necessary information to make an informed choice about their health.

Bowel cancer screening is for men and women aged 50-74. Once the choice is made, patients will be scheduled for an appointment at the most convenient PHCC screening location within four weeks of the phone call.

For breast cancer screening, a risk assessment will be conducted by call centre staff on women aged 45 to 69 to make a preliminary determination of the proper clinical protocol for the patient. Based on their responses to the assessment, patients will be scheduled for screening and will be guided into the right pathway.

“The launch of our 800 1112 Call Centre, which complements our website, signals the start of our proactive interaction with the public,” Dr Mariam Ali Abdul Malik, managing director, PHCC said.

“This will certainly open doors for more people to experience our life-saving cancer screening procedures. Our state-of-the-art call centre facility is run by staff who have all been trained and equipped with the knowledge, skill and personality to deal with the subject and with individuals who may have varying attitudes and questions. We are confident that this call centre will effectively and significantly contribute to the overall success of the programme.”

Screen for Life has also launched its social media Facebook and Twitter platforms, ScreenforLife Qatar.