Free breast cancer screening in Mexico

As part of International Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October 19 is considered a national day in Mexico to raise awareness about breast cancer prevention, research and treatment. It has been a tradition for several years at RONAL GROUP’s Mexican sites, in Querétaro and San Luis Potosí, to make employees aware of the importance of breast cancer detection and screening on this day with various activities and information campaigns.

A pink wheel

National Breast Cancer Day 2022 marked the first occasion when the same activities took place at both sites. The color pink was clearly dominant. It is internationally considered the color of solidarity with women suffering from breast cancer. Using the slogan “We dress in pink” employees at the sites were invited to wear pink clothes. In addition, the medical services team made small pink ribbons that employees could pin on themselves as a sign of solidarity with those affected. The local production team made a pink RONAL wheel especially for the day, which was displayed in a clearly visible location on site. For many weeks after the day of action, it continued to remind the workforce of the relevance of early detection of breast cancer.

Responsibility as an employer

But for RONAL GROUP Mexico, it isn’t just about raising awareness. They particularly want to promote early detection of breast cancer. Previously, it had been promoted through information campaigns such as flyers with tips and advice on symptom recognition. On Breast Cancer Day 2022, the two sites each offered 20 free mammograms for breast cancer detection for the first time. This offer was open to all female employees aged 40 and over and to female partners of employees. The screenings were performed by an external laboratory, with costs being covered by RONAL GROUP Mexico.

The offer was met with great interest and almost all of the total 40 mammogram slots were filled. Consequently, starting with the next Breast Cancer Awareness Day in 2023, the sites plan to expand the offer and steadily increase the number of free screenings. “According to the Global Cancer Observatory of the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 27300 new cases of breast cancer were registered in Mexico in 2020,” says Edgar Fernando Bajonero, company doctor at the Querétaro site. “As an employer, we therefore see it as our responsibility to promote programs such as free mammograms in our company, in order to be able to detect any diseases at the earliest possible stage.”