KATH Records over 20% Breast Cancer Cases From Sunyani
By thefourlens.com, September 15, 2022
The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has hinted an alarming cases of breast cancer from the Bono region in recent times, saying more than 20 percent of breast cancer cases recorded at the facility were from Sunyani.
Mrs. Constance Antwi Bosiako, a Registered General Nurse at the Breast Care Center at the KATH told thefourlens.com in an interview that the KATH had most breast cancer referral cases from the Sunyani Regional Hospital.
According to her, the severity of the situation is worrisome, saying the facility records not less than two or three cases of breast cancer from Sunyani every day.
This, she explained was as a result of breast care unit not available at the Sunyani Regional Hospital.
Mrs. Bosiako stated breast cancer cases are in the ascendancy and it is on tops with 50-to-60 percent rate of deaths caused by cancer, but have very little public knowledge on prevalence.
She expressed sadness the situation was also because of late reporting to hospital or health care centers for diagnosis and treatment at earliest stage of the disease.
Mrs. Bosiako said “breast cancer is not spiritual, it’s a disease”, and the only way is periodic breast examination and reporting early signs to the hospital for treatment.
She added at the worst stage of the disease, cost of treatment is relatively high and becomes a challenge causing needless deaths.
Mrs. Bosiako therefore urged women to be critical about issues of breast cancer and always go to hospital for diagnosis and early treatment.
A random breast cancer awareness survey conducted on Sunyani Wednesday market and around Zongo by thefourlens.com and reached out to more than 160 women between Tuesday and Wednesday revealed that only three out of every 10 women are aware about breast cancer and how dangerous the disease is.
From the survey, four out of every 10 women says they “have been hearing the name breast cancer but don’t really know anything about it”, while three out of 10 said “no I have not heard it before at all”.
Those who have once in a decade been to hospital to check their status on breast cancer were two out of every 10 women.
This has necessitated a dire need for breast care center at the Sunyani Regional Hospital for women in the region to have easy access to breast cancer examination and treatment.
This is because knowledge in issues relating to breast cancer and treatment is very low in the region and many women could be affected unknowingly.
The regional Hospital too do not have a unit for that purpose, hence all breast cancer cases are being referred to the KATH in Kumasi.
In view of the above, Mrs. Safura Mohammed Suraj Antwi, the Director of Suncity group of companies in Sunyani said they are in collaboration with the KATH to undertake a massive breast cancer screening and awareness creation exercise in Sunyani on October 21st this year.
Mrs. Antwi, also the project lead told thefourlens.com that it is a maiden one-day exercise with about 15 Doctors and Nurses from the KATH and calling on all women in the Bono region to utilize the opportunity to know their status.
The exercise is part of the KATH and Suncity group of companies activities this year to beef up breast cancer awareness in the Bono region and to commemorate the international breast cancer month of October.
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