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University of Medical Sciences (UCM) of Cienfuegos(central Cuba) is promoting the international development and innovation project Distintivo Soludable Cuba, a research on the promotion of photoprotection and skin cancer prevention.
Led by the University of Granada (UGR), Spain, and with the support of the National University of Chimborazo, Ecuador, the initiative is financed by the Andalusian Agency of International Cooperation for Development, in addition to the collaboration of Medicus Mundi Sur and the Sodepaz organization.
The objective is to measure the knowledge of the staff and first to fifth year university students, in order to raise photoprotection awarness to prevent skin carcinoma, said Dr. Marlene Curbelo Alonso, head of the Dermatology Service of the Dr. Gustavo Aldereguia Lima General Hospital and coordinator of the program in the territory, to the Cuban News Agency.
She said that another purpose of that strategy is to declare the Cienfuegos institution as a certified center for the prevention of that disease, which would make it the first in Cuba and the second in Latin America with that distinction.
Through Soludable, in operation since February this year, the Spanish scientific entity offers training post graduate curses to University of Medical Sciences of Cienfuegos professors, in nursing care and quality management improvement on photoprotection and malignant melanomas prevention, Curbelo Alonso added.
Likewise, she mentioned, we received dermatoscopes ─used in the early diagnosis of the disease─, material for surgical surgeries, for example, scissors, needles; or resources such as laptops, telephones for data recording, activities promotion and university extracurricular activities of future doctors in health expertise areas.
According to the World Health Organization, between 50 and 90 % of skin carcinoma is caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation, while 80 % of the cases could be avoided with healthy protection habits.
