Dr Beatrice Wiafe-Addai
President of Breast Care International (BCI), Dr Beatrice Wiafe-Addai, has disclosed that over 700 women who were diagnosed of breast cancer survived the disease following early detection and prompt treatment at the Peace & Love Hospitals.
Their conditions were variously detected during the free screening programmes carried out across the country by BCI, she explained.
The disease, she emphasized, is both curable and survivable on condition that patients report any breast abnormality to hospitals for treatment, and cautioned against reporting end stage conditions which could end fatally.
She continued… “We celebrate survivorship at our annual flagship programme ‘BCI Ghana Race For The Cure’ to boost public confidence that we have the expertise to cure the disease provided patients report to us promptly.”
Dr Wiafe-Addai reiterated that breast cancer is not caused by supernatural forces, and challenged the media to consistently harp on the need for every adult female to carry out their own breast self-examination periodically.
“We humbly also want to appeal to our clergy not to detain patients with the condition at prayer camps ostensibly for treatment, but should rather refer such cases to hospitals for proper diagnosis and treatment,” she stressed.
Speaking in Accra during a meeting with the Rotary Club, Dr Wiafe-Addai said, “BCI is keen on showcasing survivorship because the word of mouth attestation by survivors is a proven testimony that encourages those with the condition to come out, while shedding off stigmatization.”
“We want to appeal to corporate Ghana to support our survivors who have braved the odds to enable us save the lives that are being lost daily to this disease,” Dr Wiafe-Addai disclosed.
She suggested indigent breast cancer patients should be rolled onto the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme in a bid to make life more bearable for them.
“We are saddened by the level of ignorance on the part of many despite of our aggressive free screening programs. What manifests daily imposes a huge challenge on us to lift the bar some notches up, else we risk losing a lot more women to this ravaging disease,” Dr Wiafe-Addai said.
She commended the Rotary initiative and declared BCI’s readiness to collaborate with like-minded institutions desirous of ridding Ghana of breast cancer.