www.womanthismonth.com October 2019 21 FEATURE | breast cancer awareness intervention – different types of counselling – what type and format is helpful; and is it helpful or not? Prof Ghufran explains: “We looked at a huge range of published material and the results of studies and then came up with conclusions for physicians to use in their practice. “There is very little psychological intervention in this region, so, we thought that we should look at it and have something to take to the authorities. We found that a very specific type of counselling, CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) – based on the way you think and thus behave – was the best in affecting the psychological state and led to a decrease in depression and anxiety and increased quality of life. However, psychological intervention had inconclusive results in prolonging life. “From that study, we got what we needed to talk to the authorities. The National Oncology Centre has moved to King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH) and we are discussing, with them, the possibility of having a full team involved in patient care so that patients can get a holistic approach to the disease.” ONGOING CAMPAIGNS Several years on from her PhD study, Prof Ghufran is still very much involved in women’s health and as well as doing genetic analysis from the ongoing study, she has now turned her attention to another female cancer, that of the cervix. “This is the only type of cancer that can be prevented by the use of a simple vaccine [the HPV vaccine] but it is not available here except in the private hospitals. The Ministry of Health has requested the findings of our study, which we provided to them in an attempt to the convince the authorities to introduce it.” She also started the first Well Woman Clinic at KHUH, the first in the public sector – it began with just four patients a day but now it’s up to 30! And, the professor adds that it’s not just about gynae matters but all sorts of issues concerning women.
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