Koforidua, near Duayaw Nkwanta
October 13, 2023
Ghana recorded 4000 women with breast cancer in the year 2020, half of them couldn’t survive.
Miss Abena Konadu Gyimah, a public health nurse at the breast care unit of the St. John of God Hospital, Duayaw Nkwanta in the Ahafo region has disclosed.
Speaking in an interview with thefourlens.com at Koforidua, near Duayaw Nkwanta last Tuesday, Miss Gyimah expressed much worry about the alarming cases of breast cancer in the region and the country at large.
She explained that lack of breast cancer sensitization and education at the rural communities as well as proximity to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment facilities coupled with unavailability of mammography X-ray machines in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions were the major challenges and causing many breast cancer cases to reach incurable stages.
Miss Gyimah therefore implored government to prioritize issues of breast cancer affecting women who are the country’s largest population group, and acquire mammography X-ray machines for all regional and major hospitals across the country.
The mammography X-ray machine detects the tiniest of cancer cells in the breast, she explained.
Miss Gyimah further revealed that in October 2021and 2022, her facility recorded 17 suspected breast abnormalities out of few women screened during the October breast cancer awareness campaign.
She said the cases were referred to the Komfo Anokye and Kolebu Teaching Hospitals for further investigation and some results received confirmed breast cancer.
Miss Gyimah stated the “every October sensitization and awareness campaign isn’t enough because most Ghanaian women have very little or no knowledge about the dangers associated with breast cancer”.
In that regard, she pleaded with the government and development partners to support the breast care centers with funds to intensify sensitization and education at the rural communities to help curb this deadly situation.
Miss Gyimah urged husbands to encourage their wives to regularly visit the nearest breast care centers to examine their breast.
In further interview to ascertain severity of the situation, Mrs. Constance Antwi Bosiako, a Registered General Nurse at the Breast Care Center at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi (one of the referral hospitals) told thefourlens.com that Bono Region currently tops the list of breast cancer referral cases at KATH.
She explained at least ten breast cancer cases from the Bono Region are received every week at the KATH in the Ashanti region, making Bono region the highest in terms of all breast cancer referral cases to the facility.
Mrs. Bosiako therefore reiterated the need for government to improve proximity to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment facilities in all the 16 regions of Ghana to ease and increase access to screening and investigating early signs and abnormalities in the breast.
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Writer’s email: ttchrietoph1@gmail.com
Itís hard to find well-informed people in this particular topic, however, you seem like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks