The Report Tackling cancer in England: saving more lives has just been published by the National Audit Office.

Umm Ilhaam remembers that whilst at Medical School she was taught that in a certain area of England, the Muslim women have really high rates of breast cancer and late diagnosis. This was found to be because they didn't like being examined so left their suspicious symptoms until it was too late. Although this may sound like a ridiculous mistake to some, it still happens. She now practices in this area and has met people where she works who don't like their women (or even themselves!) being treated by "kufar". At the same time they don't like their women to study or work in Medicine. Is it any wonder they have some of the highest rates of disease in the country?

The frightening stats are as follows:

"More than one in three people in England will develop cancer at some point in their life. One in four will die from it. There are about 225,000 new cases per year in England, and some 130,000 deaths. The leading four cancers – breast, lung, bowel and prostate - account for about half of new cases and deaths....

The report stresses that more action is required by patients to report suspicious symptoms.

Today's report highlights the fact that the most effective way of preventing cancer is for people to stop smoking. One contribution to this is that the NHS has encouraged hundreds of thousands of people to stop at least for a short period."

Read the report http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/03-04/0304364.htm

Some medical fiqh relating to treatment by the non-Mulsim or opposite gender:

The order in seeking medical treatment (for a woman) would be from a:

a) Muslim female doctor
b) non-Muslim female doctor
c) Muslim male doctor
d) Non-Muslim male doctor

see full article:
http://www.sunnipath.com/resources/Questions/qa00002659.aspx

and also, "I have a breast lump but donÂ’t want to be examined by a male doctor"
http://www.sunnipath.com/resources/Questions/qa00003021.aspx