The Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has described the Ghana National Association of Teachers’ (GNAT’s) investment in cancer diagnosis and treatment as a worthy contribution to national development beyond the classroom.
She said the association’s investment in the Sweden Ghana Medical Centre (SGMC) was helping to improve access to specialised cancer care and stressed that early diagnosis, timely treatment and sustained support for patients were critical to tackling the disease.
The Vice-President was speaking last Tuesday at the launch of the 2026 Thank You Teacher National Raffle, where she welcomed GNAT’s plans to extend diagnostic services beyond the capital through satellite centres linked to SGMC.
She said the move could bring care closer to communities and reduce travel costs for patients.
Shared responsibility
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the government, professional associations, businesses and other institutions had a shared responsibility to strengthen healthcare delivery.
She added that an appeal for government funding to sustain the centre could be discussed at economic management meetings.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang noted that early detection could improve treatment options and outcomes for many forms of cancer, but awareness needed to be backed by diagnosis and appropriate care.
She said patients and their families often faced uncertainty over treatment, costs and access to specialist services.
The Vice-President stressed that patients needed clear information about their conditions, guidance on treatment options and support throughout their care.
She added that compassion, dignity and continuity of care were as important as the infrastructure used to deliver treatment.
The President of GNAT, Prosper Techie, said the raffle was initiated to help raise funds for the maintenance and expansion of the cancer centre and to encourage teachers and the public to contribute towards preserving the centre and sustaining its services.
Mr Techie stated that GNAT had acquired SGMC not only for teachers but also for the country and generations yet unborn, making the centre’s continued operations a matter of national interest.
He said the association was facing financial pressure in meeting the cost of maintaining the facility and appealed to the government to provide a budgetary allocation, however modest, alongside GNAT’s engagement with the MahamaCares Initiative.
Improved facilities
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SGMC, Dr Clement Egyin Edusa, said the centre had installed an ultra-modern linear accelerator for radiotherapy, which was undergoing commissioning.
The equipment, he stated, would bring the number of linear accelerators at the centre to two.
He also highlighted the centre’s advanced oncology and nuclear medicine services, including a PET scanner, a device which reveals how internal organs and tissues function at a cellular and molecular level.
Dr Edusa said SGMC was in partnership with GNAT, the National Association of Graduate Teachers, the Electricity Company of Ghana, the Police Ladies Association, the Medical Laboratory Professional Workers’ Union, the College of Education Teachers Association of Ghana and the National Association of Registered Midwives to use the facility.
He added that the centre had completed the process of onboarding the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCares, to support cancer treatment for eligible patients.
