‘Report breast cancer cases to hospitals first’
The President of Breast Care International (BCI), Dr Beatrice Wiafe Addai, has encouraged religious leaders and traditional herbal medicine practitioners to join the campaign against breast cancer.
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At a free breast cancer screening programme at Akwatia in the Eastern Region, she said they could do that by referring women who reported to them with suspected cases to the hospital first for diagnosis and treatment, rather than keeping them at their centres.
Dr Addai, who is also the CEO of the Peace and Love hospitals, recalled the numerous personal experiences and hospital records and said if herbalists and religious leaders assisted in that direction, many patients would be saved from needless emotional and financial challenges, and, in some extreme cases, death.
She deplored the recourse to herbal preparations and prayer camps by some patients, pointing out that although she did not discount the power of prayer, it was rather complementary to orthodox medical treatment and that unapproved methods of treatment posed a real threat to life.
Screening
The screening at the Akwatia Bethel Presbyterian Church was highly patronised, with breast cancer survivors sharing personal experiences of how they had survived the disease and remained healthy and productive, years after treatment.
The leader of the Akwatia Bethel Presbyterian Women’s Association, Madam Agnes Akwa, was full of praise for the selfless work of BCI and associated herself with the pre-screening education by Dr Addai that highlighted the need for women to regularly carry out their own breast self-examination and promptly report any abnormality to hospital for treatment. She insisted that early detection and prompt action was equal to prevention.
The congregation was also screened for hypertension and diabetes. The BCI team took the opportunity to create awareness of some non-communicable diseases and the need for people to go for regular medical check-ups.
Corporate institutions
In a related development, the leadership of the women’s fellowship of the Wenchi Diocese of the Methodist Church has appealed to corporate institutions and multi-nationals to financially assist NGOs involved in the campaign against breast cancer.
The President of the Badu Women’s Fellowship of the church in the Brong Ahafo Region, Madam Margaret Ankamah Mensah, said this at a ceremony during which 750 members of the church were offered free screening by BCI.
She expressed worry about the increasing incidence of the disease and said lack of resources posed challenges to the efforts of “NGOs involved in creating awareness and clinically screening women in a bid to contain the disease in the long term.”