Need for cancer registry — Dr Awuku
The Head of the Renal Unit of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH), Dr Yaw Asante Awuku, has expressed concern over the lack of a national registry for cancer cases in the country.
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He said although there was the prevalence of cancer-related diseases, there were no data, information and statistics on the number of cases per hospital.
Speaking on the sidelines of an annual general scientific meeting of the Ghana Association for the Study of Liver and Digestive Diseases (GASLIDD) at the CCTH yesterday, Dr Awuku said “there is the urgent need for data so that we know what exactly is happening in the country regarding liver and digestive diseases.
The two-day seminar is on the theme: “The Burden of Liver and Gastrointestinal Malignancies in Ghana: The role of the GI Practitioner.”
Rampant cases
Dr Awuku said cases of cancer were becoming rampant and stressed the need for voluntary screening, particularly for those above 50 years.
Dr Awuku said about 75 per cent of liver cancer was as a result of Hepatitis B, stressing “there is the need for us to screen Hepatitis B, everybody is at risk.”
Support
The Chief Executive Officer of the CCTH, Dr Daniel Asare, said everything was being done to equip the hospital with the necessary machinery with support from the relevant institution.
The Marketing Manager Gastroenterology Africa, East Mediterranean and Gulf, Mr Nagi Checri, expressed his commitment to support the training of nurses and other organisations.
