Early detection, preventive healthcare and healthy lifestyle choices were the key messages highlighted by NCD Governor Powes Parkop during the 2026 Pinktober Walk in Port Moresby yesterday, as hundreds of residents united to fight breast cancer.
The walk began at 5am at Sir Hubert Murray Stadium, proceeded to Ela Beach and returned to the stadium, covering eight kilometers and bringing together community members, government representatives, health organisations, corporate partners, families and young people.
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Participants wore pink to promote breast cancer awareness and highlight the importance of early diagnosis, supporting women and families affected by cancer, and taking collective responsibility for community health.
In his keynote speech, Governor Parkop said the walk aimed to remind Papua New Guineans that cancer was a major killer disease requiring greater public awareness and preventive action.
He cited Global Cancer Observatory statistics recording 13,908 new cancer cases annually in Papua New Guinea, with breast cancer among the most common cancers.
Governor Parkop urged fellow Papua New Guineans to prioritize early detection, preventive healthcare and healthy lifestyle choices to reduce health risks and improve their well-being.
He encouraged people to know their health status before it was too late, maintain physical fitness through activities such as regular morning walks, and consume healthy food to improve their overall health.
He also stressed the importance of early diagnosis and highlighted contributing risk factors, including tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption.
Founder of the Active City Development Program (ACDP), Ms. Fazilah Bazari, acknowledged Governor Parkop, City Manager Ravu Frank, NCDC directors and senior management, the PNG Cancer Foundation, NCD Provincial Health Authority (NCDPHA), EIH, Pacific Industry and its Pepsi brand, Port Moresby General Hospital and participating communities for supporting the initiative.
Ms. Bazari thanked the participants and recognised mothers who prepared banners for the event.
She said the Pinktober Walk provided an opportunity for people to move beyond discussions in boardrooms and demonstrate their commitment to community health through practical action.
She said Pinktober had been running for six years, with ACDP leading the initiative in collaboration with the United Nations, corporate partners and the Amazing Port Moresby team.
Ms. Bazari linked the walk to the vision for Port Moresby by 2040 as a safe, healthy, inclusive, economically prosperous and culturally vibrant city.
“An active city is a healthy city,” she said. “A healthy city creates healthy residents, while healthy residents develop healthy bodies and healthy minds.”
She said cancer did not discriminate based on race, gender, age or country of origin and urged residents to stand together as one people and one city in the fight against the disease.
Ms. Bazari also encouraged participants to consider the positive experiences that community events could create for children over the next five to 10 years.
City Manager Ravu Frank thanked participants for supporting breast cancer awareness, describing cancer as a serious health challenge for Papua New Guinea that required a collective response.
Mr. Frank acknowledged Governor Parkop for bringing people together on weekends to promote important national health priorities, including breast cancer and other cancers affecting both women and men.
He said public awareness helped people understand breast cancer and the importance of taking appropriate health measures, stressing that early diagnosis could save lives.
Mr. Frank recognised the contributions of the PNG Cancer Foundation, Dr Robin Oge, Ms. Kimberly Capigano, NCDPHA and the Amazing Port Moresby team.
He also commended Governor Parkop for using a loudhailer throughout the eight kilometers walk to spread the awareness message to surrounding communities.
Mr. Frank said Papua New Guinea might not yet have all the infrastructure and technical capacity required to address cancer, but public awareness was an important step towards encouraging people to undergo early health checks.
He thanked government agencies, including PNG Power Limited, the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) and the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA), for participating in the event.
“Prevention is better than cure,” he said.
The walk ended with prize presentations for participants recognised for the best pink-themed dress code.