By Isaac Arkoh, GNA
Cape Coast, Sept. 13, GNA - Breast Care International (BCI), a Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO), dedicated to awareness creation on breast cancer on Thursday advocated for a comprehensive data gathering that will aid effective planning and interventions to deal with breast cancer and other related diseases.
Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe Addai, President of BCI, who made the call, indicated that a comprehensive data will help the BCI to see a clearer picture that will enable it to develop critical interventions to save lives, because the disease was a leading cause of death amongst women in Ghana.
“We don’t have centralized data regarding the figures. Every hospital has its own data but we do not have a national data that is reliable or credible,” she stated.
Dr Mrs Addai who was speaking at the launch of the 2019 edition of "BCI walk for the cure" in Cape Coast, said an average of 4,645 breast cancer cases were recorded in Ghana in 2018, and the nation was ranked 10th out of 54 countries surveyed in Africa with the disease prevalence.
Buttressing her view with statistics, she announced that 58 percent of breast cancer patients were under the age of 50, and that many of the afflicted persons resorted to quack doctors and application of uncertified herbal concoctions.
This was due to lack of knowledge about breast cancer, over-reliance on ineffective alternative therapies, inadequate facilities and lack of trained personnel and funds and this was gradually affecting the development of the country since many industrious women were dying.
Explaining the reasons for the walk, the President of BCI said "cancer could be effectively treated if diagnosed early but unfortunately, more than half of the women who were treated in Ghana receive their treatment when the disease was advanced.
Dr Addai further noted that due to the high cost of treatment, poor women who were the most affected could not afford treatment and therefore were at risk of losing their lives.
She also called on government to prioritise and scale-up efforts to decentralise and increase breast cancer rehabilitation centres across the country for early detection and diagnosis to save many women perishing on daily basis from breast cancer due to late diagnosis, screening, and inadequate facilities.
In that respect, she called on government to include the screening and treatment of breast cancer to the regiment of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), so that the most vulnerable in society could benefit.
Dr Addai urged all stakeholders to join the fight against the disease.
She said the disease was surrounded with lots of myth and misconceptions and encouraged women to practice healthy lifestyles and visit the hospital regularly to screen and check for possible cancer detection and treatment.
Mr Kwamena Duncan, Central Regional Minister who chaired the function, applauded the BCI team, the President and partners for their unwavering determination to take breast cancer education to all persons across the country.
He expressed his support and commitment to ensuring that the regional version of the walk became the best and called on all to support it.
The main event which is the ninth edition is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 12, 2019 on the theme, "early detection is the best protection" and would attract more than 50,000 participants from across the country and other continents.
It would have survivors share their stories and showcase survivorship and is expected to attract key personalities including Mr Kwamena Duncan, the Central Regional Minister, ministers of state, heads of institutions, academia, Asafo groups, youth clubs, students and the general public.
GNA
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