“Make time for yourself, start with yourself” was a program of the Government of Santiago, approved by the Metropolitan Regional Council of Santiago and implemented by the Arturo López Pérez Foundation, with the aim of reducing mortality from breast cancer and cervical cancer among the female population.
The “Make time, start with yourself” program, developed thanks to the public-private collaboration between the Government of Santiago and the Arturo López Pérez Foundation (FALP), managed to benefit more than 15 thousand women between 2023 and 2024 in 52 municipalities of the Metropolitan Region, seeking the early detection of breast and cervical cancer.
According to data from the Global Cancer Observatory, in 2023, breast cancer ranked first among tumors affecting women in Chile, with 5,640 new cases, 20.8% of the total. Meanwhile, cervical cancer accounted for 5.8% of diagnoses, with 1,559 recent cases.
Claudio Orrego, governor of Santiago, claims that the pandemic contributed to worsening the figures. Citing a study by the University of Chile from October 2020, he claims that between March and August of the same year, the Metropolitan Region reduced preventive oncology services by almost 70%, with an accumulation of 127,800 mammograms not performed.
“The drop in the number of asymptomatic cancers detected in their early stages forced us to take action,” says Claudio Orrego, especially “if we consider that both cancers have a survival rate of more than 90% when detected and treated in time.”
Faced with this reality, the need to take action to reverse a complex situation for the health of Chilean women became evident. Thus, a collaborative effort between the Government of Santiago and the Arturo López Pérez Foundation emerged: “Together we set out to strengthen women’s rights, their social inclusion and improve their quality of life by promoting self-care and access to preventive health care.”
This is how “Make time, start with yourself” was born, a program developed in the Metropolitan Region with the aim of encouraging and increasing the performance of mammograms in women over 40 years of age and implementing the self-sampling test for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in those over 30, “in order to reduce mortality rates from breast cancer and cervical cancer,” says the governor.
Approved by the Metropolitan Regional Council, the program included the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Seremi of Health, mayors and the key collaboration of health personnel, from workers of various family health centers, drivers of the FALP-GORE mobile clinics, nurses and TENS, to FALP professionals who were in charge of conducting educational workshops, among others.
“Early detection is definitely the factor that moves the needle,” says Governor Claudio Orrego, who indicates that in 277 days, 9,270 mammograms were performed, 104% of the expected compliance, with a daily average of 33.5 exams. In addition, 1,000 free kits for self-sampling of HPV were delivered in the communes of Lampa, Quinta Normal, San Ramón, Renca, Providencia and La Pintana.
Education and impact
“Education was a crucial factor in amplifying the message and reaching a larger audience,” says Claudio Orrego. During this period, 166 in-person and virtual information and educational workshops were held, with a total of 4,866 attendees. Focusing on the prevention and early detection of breast and cervical cancer, these courses were conducted by FALP specialists, who provided tools to identify the factors that could reduce the incidence of both diseases, in addition to providing information on lifestyle habits that can reduce those that are modifiable.
“The workshops were very useful in understanding women’s concerns and also in dispelling a number of myths, prejudices and fears surrounding these procedures,” said the governor of Santiago.
In addition, to amplify the message and reach a larger audience, Governor Orrego says that the media “was a fundamental factor in our campaign.” He says that thanks to them, information reached hundreds of women so that “they could make time for themselves.” He also explains that the use of social media was a key element in answering questions about the importance of taking these tests periodically.
“The task does not end here,” says the authority, referring to data from the Global Cancer Observatory which indicate that 1,700 people die each year from breast cancer and another 800 from cervical cancer. “It is estimated that one in three victims could have been saved if they had received treatment in time,” he stresses.
For this reason, Orrego believes it is essential that this program be replicated in other regions in order to obtain “results as positive as in the Metropolitan Region,” promoting the early detection of these diseases. In addition, he stresses that public-private collaboration “exponentially increases positive results,” which is why he considers it crucial to continue working on new alliances and pilot programs of this type.
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