SBI Life extends ‘Thanks A Dot’- Breast Cancer Awareness program, promoting self-breast examination among women in Bhubaneshwar

The company distributed innovative ‘Thanks-A-Dot- Hot Water Bags, empowering female sanitation workers to prioritize self-care by inculcating a behavioral change

Bhubaneshwar: In its steadfast commitment to women’s health and empowerment of underserved communities, SBI Life Insurance, under its ‘Thanks A Dot’ initiative, organized a breast cancer awareness program to educate and create awareness around the importance of self-breast examination amongst female sanitation workers of Bhubaneshwar Municipal Corporation (BMC). Through collaborative efforts with the Rotaract Club of Bhubaneshwar, the initiative aimed to bring about a behavioral change by empowering these women with an innovative easy-to-use tool for self-breast examination. Approximately 90+ sanitation workers attended the awareness program, who were equipped with the skills and confidence to perform self- breast examination regularly.

Often, these sanitation workers face significant barriers in accessing crucial healthcare resources, compounded by socio-economic challenges that hinder their ability to prioritize their well-being. Recognizing the need for creating awareness around breast cancer & self-breast examination, SBI Life Insurance continues to take a step forward in this direction to educate female sanitation workers on ways to fight this deadly disease.

Mr. Rajesh Bhugra, Regional Director- Bhubaneswar, SBI Life Insurance along with Dr. Sanjay Kumar Mishra- Director- Radiology Oncology at Utkal Hospitals, Ms. Nandita Shah, Vice President, SBI Life Insurance were accompanied by the members of Rotary club at this awareness program. They addressed these sanitation workers and distributed the innovative ‘Thanks A Dot’ hot water bag.

The innovative Thanks A Dot tool, re-engineers the ‘hot water bag’, that is most commonly used by women across the country to tackle menstrual pain, by engraving special lumps on the front side of the bag allowing women to experience the sensation of how a real breast cancer lump would feel during self-examination. This innovative yet simple tool is an effort to seamlessly enter every household to promote self-checks which works as a reminder for every woman that making health their priority is important and the practice of self-breast examination should be included in the monthly routine.

Breast cancer is among the many health issues affecting women’s overall well-being. Alarmingly, 60% of breast cancer cases are reported in later stages, underscoring the urgent need for early detection. Unlike other diseases, breast cancer can often be detected early through simple self-examination steps, without the need for expensive medical devices. Understanding the critical importance of raising awareness and empowering women with life-saving skills, SBI Life Insurance has designed the innovative ‘Thanks A Dot’ Hot Water Bag.

The event concluded with the distribution of the hot water bags to the female sanitation workers alongside an interactive session that educated them on the importance of early detection and technique of self-breast examination. SBI Life Insurance reaffirms its dedication to this cause, pledging to continue its efforts for spreading awareness and facilitating innovative tools for early detection of breast cancer across the country.