Breast cancer awareness day marked in Zagreb

The Croatian League Against Cancer, the City of Zagreb and the Croatian Institute of Public Health organised the annual Daffodil Day public health campaign on Saturday, which warns of the importance of preventing breast cancer.

As part of the campaign, free mammography exams were available on Zagreb's main square. Part of the campaign involves the sale of daffodils as a symbol of the fight against breast cancer. The event is traditionally held on the last Saturday in March.

Health Minister Vili Beroš expressed his support for the campaign, telling the media of the exceptional result achieved by the National Preventive Program of Early Breast Cancer Detection, which has reduced the mortality rate by 25 percent.

Minister Beroš said the program detects tumour lesions in more than 60 percent of cases when they are small and localised. He added that campaigns like this have helped to set an example of how to fight for the health of the nation.

SDP leader Peđa Grbin supported the public health campaign, underscoring that prevention is extremely important in the fight against breast cancer.

The state has to work on prevention, but the government is extremely slow with numerous preventive programs because some were abolished seven or eight years ago and have never been replaced. Croatia is among the countries with the worst results at the EU level when it comes to prevention and mortality from cancer, warned Grbin.