Health Ministry's major step in cancer fight: 99 million messages save tens of thousands of lives

Turkey's Ministry of Health has launched a significant initiative to combat cancer, sending out 99 million reminder messages to citizens about free cancer screenings. This campaign has already resulted in the early detection and treatment of cancer in 35,600 individuals.

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Can an SMS save a life? With the project we launched a year ago today, we delivered 99 million reminder SMS messages to our citizens in the eligible age group.

Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu announced the success of the short message service (SMS) campaign, which began last year. The goal was to increase participation in free cancer screening programs and raise awareness about the importance of early diagnosis. Since July 2024, approximately 16 million citizens have undergone free screenings.

"Can an SMS save a life?" Minister Memişoğlu posted on social media, highlighting the impact of the project. The ministry identified suspicious findings in 658,000 individuals. The early detection of cancer in 35,600 people allowed for the prompt initiation of treatment processes.

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We detected cancer in 35,600 citizens in the early period and started their treatment processes.

Memişoğlu stressed the life-saving impact of early cancer detection and encouraged all eligible citizens to take advantage of the free screening services. The campaign underscores the government's commitment to public health and proactive disease management.

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Early diagnosis in cancer saves lives. For your health, I invite you to our free cancer screenings as well.