The cancer menace in Ghana is now very scary, with 28,000 cases recorded every year, out which 18,000 deaths occur.
“This is a huge public health concern that requires a coordinated intervention from all stakeholders to manage effectively,” said the National President of the Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners (SPMDP), Dr (Med) Andre Kwasi-Kumah.
He said this at the end of the 45th Annual General Meeting of the SPMDP in Ho last Sunday.
The meeting was on the theme: The New Dynamics of Cancer and its Management in the Attainment of SDGs.
Dr Kwasi-Kumah said although more of such cases occurred in the developed countries, the morbidity and mortality rates in those countries were far less than what pertained in Ghana due to proper information dissemination and prompt medical attention.
He said the government had put measures in place to make it possible for cancer to be treated at a lower cost to the individual.
However, Dr Kwasi-Kumah said a lot of Ghanaians were unaware of the arrangement, and only turned up at the hospital when it was too late for help.
“The citizens of Ghana should take up the responsibility of helping to spread information on cancer, emphasising the early report to hospital for prompt medical attention and treatment,” he added.
Dr Kwasi-Kumah pointed out the challenges facing cancer treatment, including advanced high-tech equipment which came with heavy financial overheads.
Therefore, he suggested that the government waived off the import duties and taxes on such items, and facilitated their early discharge from the ports.
Dr Kwasi-Kumah gave the assurance that the SPMDP was a well-organised group capable of ensuring that such waivers were not abused when granted.
He also called on the government to provide a dedicated budgetary support or financial guarantee for private health facilities to seek assistance from the banks.
The National President of SPMDP said effective cancer treatment required expanding infrastructure, reducing financial barriers and decentralising care.
That, he said, included upgrading treatment technology, integrating care into insurance, scaling up community screening and putting in place a comprehensive cancer training institute in each district.
“The fight cannot be successfully won by a single entity; there is the need for all stakeholders to be on board,” Dr Kwasi-Kumah said.
He affirmed the SPMDP’s firm position and readiness to partner in the fight against the cancer menace.
Dr Kwasi-Kumah said cancer, which was not a new problem, required new management strategies to reduce its menace on the citizenry.
“As a major player, SPMDP is poised to work with the state in managing this canker” he added.
