Melaka sees strong uptake as 1,318 women get free breast cancer screenings

MELAKA, June 13 — A total of 1,318 women aged 40 to 70 across the state have undergone free mammogram screenings this year under the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) Mammogram Subsidy programme.

State Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairman Datuk Kalsom Noordin said that the breast cancer screening programme remains open to women within this age group, with a target of 1,800 women undergoing the test this year.

She said the screenings can be carried out at three private hospitals in the state: Putra Specialist Hospital Melaka, Pantai Hospital, Ayer Keroh, and Mahkota Medical Centre.

“Eligible and interested participants who wish to undergo the mammogram screening may visit the LPPKN Melaka Nur Sejahtera Clinic or attend the clinic’s outreach programmes to register and obtain an appointment date at the participating hospitals.

“So far, we have seen a very encouraging response from women in Melaka towards undergoing mammogram screening through this initiative, compared to previous years. This clearly shows that awareness of the importance of such screenings has increased significantly among women,” she told reporters here last night.

She said this after the opening of the Festival Malam Kita 2026 @ KafeTEEN Melaka, which was officiated by LPPKN director-general Datuk Abdul Shukur Abdullah and attended by state LPPKN director Suszma Khairitszi Mamat.

Kalsom said the target group should fully utilise the free mammogram screening as part of efforts to detect breast cancer at an early stage, in line with the Women’s Reproductive Cancer Awareness Campaign actively implemented by the government through LPPKN.

She added that the subsidy also helps ease the financial burden on women seeking screening.

“Therefore, we encourage all eligible women to undergo mammogram screening as soon as possible, as there are still places available under the programme’s quota,” she said. — Bernama