To conclude the international awareness campaign against breast cancer, Minister of Health and Social Welfare Klodiana Spahiu, accompanied by Deputy Minister of Defence Pranvera Skana and the Director of the Institute of Public Health, Dorina Toçi, held a meeting with the girls and women of the Armed Forces, focusing on the importance of prevention, early diagnosis and periodic check-ups.
Minister Spahiu stressed that the priority is for screening not to remain merely an awareness message, but to become a real and ongoing opportunity for every woman. For this reason, the breast cancer screening programme has been expanded to now include the 45–65 age group, up from the previous 50–60. This means more women included in check-ups and more opportunities for timely diagnosis. “We have expanded the screening age group from 50–60 to 45–65, aiming to include more than 345 thousand women in this programme. Screening will continue throughout the year, through hospital structures and mobile units. Because early diagnosis can make the difference between a disease detected in time and a far greater risk to life,” Minister Spahiu said.
She emphasised that health policies must increasingly be oriented towards prevention, placing the citizen and their needs at the centre of the system. In this regard, the 2027 draft budget also supports strengthening preventive programmes, investment in health infrastructure and expanding access to quality services. The minister called for closer inter-institutional cooperation and a joint commitment so that women do not postpone their health check-ups, considering them a responsibility toward themselves and their families.
For her part, Deputy Minister of Defence Pranvera Skana praised the commitment of the girls and women of the Armed Forces to awareness activities, stressing that women’s health care should be part of our attention every day of the year. Director of the Institute of Public Health Dorina Toçi highlighted the importance of a comprehensive approach to women’s health, recalling that alongside breast cancer screening, women can also undergo HPV testing, for the prevention and early diagnosis of cervical cancer, at the health centres where they are registered. Between January and October 2026, a total of 13,948 mammography examinations were carried out nationwide, 5,275 of them in October alone. These figures show the importance of awareness campaigns, but also the need for check-ups to continue at the same intensity throughout the year.
