Julia Tovey strides purposefully down a corridor at the American Mission Hospital. “This is every woman’s nightmare,” she says, sotto voce, as she rounds a corner and enters a small room where a machine occupies most of the available space.
A technician stands attentively as Julia gestures towards the apparatus. “This is a mammogram machine,” she explains. “And, to elaborate on what I said earlier, it is the fear of the unknown that spurs every woman’s nightmare as she prepares to undergo an examination of her breasts.”
A specialist in neonatal intensive care and cardiothoracic nursing, Julia created history in 2011 by becoming the first-ever woman to be appointed chief operating officer (COO) of AMH. Now the Group CEO, she outlines how the non-profit institution intends to reach out to communities during the annual Breast Cancer Awareness campaign this month.
“AMH’s mission is to reach out to every community in Bahrain,” she says, leading the way back to her office. “We do events all through the year: for children with special needs, for out-patients, for breast screenings. But, in October this year, as, indeed, we have done in previous years, we will have dedicated teams going to different communities every day to conduct breast screenings.”
In keeping with the hospital’s not-for-profit mandate, AMH does a lot for charity in Breast Cancer Awareness month. “One of our initiatives is a special discount on a mammogram and a breast ultrasound,” Julia says. “Of course, this is for patients who can afford to pay. And that, in turn, since the money goes into our charity, enables those less fortunate to be able to undergo the testing as well.”
She dismisses the notion that size contributes to the prevalence of breast cancer. “It has absolutely nothing to do with size but to do with either genes or other contributing factors,” she points out. “Now, they can screen your genes. I mean … it’s great, but it’s also scary because, essentially, this is predicting your future. And this, quite emphatically, also reinforces the concept of healthcare now: it is not about curing, it is about preventing illnesses.”
Since Julia completed an advanced flight physiology course from the Royal Air Force (she also worked with Saudi ARAMCO’s hospital to set up its flight team, having completed a neonatal/paediatric flight training programme, which covers the transportation of sick children by air), she invokes an airline analogy to stress her point about prevention being better than cure.
“Women have to take ownership of their health,” she says. “They can’t keep putting off tests or screenings or mammograms for whatever reason. Only if they are healthy will they be able to take care of their own. You know what they say in the plane just before takeoff: if and when the oxygen mask drops down, put it on first and, then, help your kin. The same applies to your health. Look after yourself and you’ll be able to look after others.”
