Dr Rita Larson Reindorf, the Deputy Director in-charge of Clinical Care, Ashanti Regional Health Directorate, has called for concerted efforts in breast cancer awareness creation to reduce the mortality rate. She said creating awareness on the disease must be the utmost priority of every individual and institution, and not only the Ghana Health Service (GHS). ‘Every individual must get on board to be an ambassador of breast cancer education to be able to reduce its mortality rate,’ she said. ‘This way, the disease will be known to everyone just as any other disease and help erase the misconceptions and myths surrounding it.’ Dr Reindorf said this at a breast cancer awareness durbar in Kumasi, on the theme: ‘Managing Together: A step in Closing the Care Gap’, which was part of activities to mark the breast cancer month of October. The most effective way of detecting breast cancer was through screening and self – examination, hence the need to encourage all women to have their beasts screened regularly. Madam Lydia Owusu Ansah, the Ashanti Regional Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Coordinator, said globally, non-communicable diseases had become a health burden to service providers. Hypertension, diabetes, breast cancer and all the cancers, as well as Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) conditions could be detected through screening, she noted. Breast cancer is the second most common cancers among women, causing fatalities. Madam Owusu Ansah said early detection was the best way to tackle and help in its management and treatment. She outlined some of the symptoms as discoloration of the breast, enlargement and lump in the breast, and called on men to help their wives in self-examinations and take care of their breasts. Dr Kwame Ofori Boadu, the Medical Superintendent of the Kumasi South Hospital, said the health facility had created a friendly environment for the public to seek medical care. A wellness clinic had also been created, which was free of charge, and urged the public to take advantage for regular check-ups to detect diseases early. Mr Kwame Awitor, Director, City Cancer Foundation, pledged his foundation’s support to the GHS to minimise breast cancer in the country.
Source: Ghana News Agency