First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo with a section of members at the forum
First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo has pledged to mobilise resources to build a cancer treatment centre which will offer medical care to patients with cancer, especially women and children in Ghana.
Mrs Akufo-Addo made the pledge when she accepted a challenge for first ladies from African countries to build a cancer treatment centre to boost cancer care in the region at the ongoing 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States.
The session was on the theme: ‘looking forward to a future without cancers: implementation of access to medicines, diagnosis and treatment’.
The Forum of African First Ladies Against Cancers, as well as Lexington Properties, a real estate agency established by some Ghanaians domiciled in the United States of America (USA) and Canada, have all pledged to support the building of the treatment centre.
Speaking at the high level meeting of African First Ladies/Spouses Against Cancers held on the sidelines of the UNGA, Mrs Akufo-Addo stated that cancers of the breast, cervix and uterus are the leading cause of deaths among women in developing countries.
“Just the mention of the word cancer invokes fear and misery because it is perceived as invariably leading to painful deaths,” she said.
The first Lady of Ghana observed that the types of cancers women suffer from are often discovered late in most African countries when very little can be done by physicians to address the unfortunate health condition.
“In our part of the world, cancers are often discovered late in Ghana alone over 16,600 cases of cancer occur annually,” she pointed out.
No Data
Touching on the challenges faced in cancer care, Mrs Akufo-Addo mentioned lack of data on the number of people who die from cancers continue to be a mirage due to the unavailability of dedicated treatment centres.
She added data and research in Ghana only focused on specific cancers, making it difficult to know the real number of cases in order to plan for interventions.
The first lady further disclosed that access to diagnostics, treatment and medicines were fraught with many challenges which include late presentation and diagnosis, lack of awareness on the disease; funding challenges, inadequate infrastructure to deal with the disease and inadequate qualified personnel.
“We are supporting community awareness creation and screening initiatives. We are educating against some traditional cultural beliefs and myths, encouraging behaviour changes and promoting healthy lifestyles,” she enumerated.
Commendation
The first lady was commended by Roache International for her efforts at soliciting funds to build a baby and mother unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.
She thanked Roche, an international pharmaceutical organisation, and some non-governmental organisations for their support in ensuring that issues on cancers and treatments were demystified in the country.
The first lady added that most cancers could be cured when detected early and, therefore, called on people to report early for treatment to avoid unforeseen circumstances.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri