Prostate Cancer Charity
The Prostate Cancer Charity appoints first specialist nurse to work specifically with African Caribbean communities.
African Caribbean men are three times more likely to develop prostate cancer than their white counterparts. To recognise this, The Prostate Cancer Charity has appointed its first Support and Information Specialist Helpline Nurse to work specifically with African Caribbean communities.
Trinidad –born
Suresh Rambaran has been working in the field of cancer nursing for more that 30 years. He joined The Prostate Cancer Charity in 2004 as a Support and Specialist Information Nurse. He has also been actively involved in many community activities such as the
Trinidad and Tobago Nurses Association and a number of Caribbean community groups as well as health care professional organisations.
He will now spend two days a week within
African Caribbean communities around the UK, focusing initially on the West Midlands area, where he will build on the groundwork the Charity has already done in the region. This includes the successful staging earlier this year of Benjamin Zephaniah's play, De Botty Business, dealing with African Caribbean attitudes towards prostate cancer.
Suresh Rambaran's role will now involve providing prostate cancer specialist nursing input into community awareness events to increase understanding of the disease among ethnic minority groups.
John Neate, Chief Executive of The Prostate Cancer Charity, said:
"There are many cultural issues and taboos surrounding prostate cancer in African Caribbean communities and Suresh's professional knowledge and experience will help enormously in raising awareness in these communities of the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men."
Suresh Rambaran added:
"Raising awareness of prostate cancer within the African Caribbean community is vitally important. By building key relationships and partnerships with voluntary and community organisations as well as other healthcare professionals, I hope to bring greater knowledge and understanding of prostate cancer among men and their families within the community."
If you have any queries about prostate cancer, call The Prostate Cancer Charity's confidential helpline 0800 074 8383 which is staffed by specialist nurses and open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday and Wednesdays from 7 - 9pm or visit the website for more info.
