Ghana plots cervical cancer elimination by 2030

A cervical cancer strategy to support Ghana’s effort to prevent and control the disease is current­ly being developed.

It is being done by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in collabora­tion with the World Health Organ­isation (WHO) through a group of experts in cervical cancer control.

The Director-General of GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, who re­vealed this at the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Cervical Cancer Symposium in Accra on Friday, said the strategy would help the country to achieve the global elimination targets while streamlining the mul­tiple disjointed efforts to address cervical cancer.

“GHS has initiated efforts to es­tablish a Technical Working Group for cervical cancer. Together with WHO, the group of experts are drafting a cervical cancer strategy which will support the national efforts at prevention and control.

The strategy seeks to chart a course for Ghana to achieve the global elimination targets whilst streamlining the multiple disjointed efforts to address cervical cancer,” he stated.

The event was organised by Om­niDiagnostics in collaboration with the National Vaccine Institute and Atlantic Lifesciences Limited on the theme “Advancing Awareness, Building Capacities and Enhancing Healthcare in the Fight Against Cervical Cancer and Human Papil­loma Virus (HPV)”.

Dr Kuma-Aboagye said globally, a total of 604,000 new cases of cervical cancer were recorded, with 342,000 deaths in 2020, making the disease the fourth most common cancer in women.

However, he said 90 per cent of the deaths were attributed to low-and middle-income countries which Ghana was no exception.

He explained that cervical cancer was the second commonest female cancer in Ghana, affecting an esti­mated 3,151 women, with 66 per cent rate of fatality.

“This clearly is unacceptable! It is not acceptable for us to lose our mothers, sisters, wives and friends to cervical cancer,” the Direc­tor-General said.

Dr Kuma-Aboagye noted the Global Strategy for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer provides that by 2030, 90 per cent of girls should fully be vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by age 15, 70 per cent of women screened with a high-per­formance test by 35 and 45 years of age and 90 per cent of those identified with cervical disease given appropriate treatment.

“As a country, we have imple­mented a number of strategies to combat cervical cancer, including the comprehensive life course approach, based on the mode of transmission of the causative pathogen (HPV) and the progres­sion of the disease with a pro­longed precancerous phase before progression to cancer,” he said.

The Chief Executive Officer of National Vaccine Institute, Prof. William Ampofo, said it was im­portant to sensitise the public and health care providers to cervical cancer and the importance of HPV.

He urged individuals to use the HPV vaccines to protect them­selves against the disease which would help control and prevent cervical cancer in the country.

 BY CLAUDE NYARKO ADAMS

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