A member of the Health Promotion Team of the Prestea Health Directorate taking participants through how breasts are checked.
AVAILABLE STATISTICS indicate that about 16 thousand new breast cancer cases are reported annually in Ghana.
Joseph Kwame Sampson, the Prestea Huni Valley Municipal Health Director, who revealed this, described the figure as alarming.
He also added that most of the women who have died from the cancer in the country report late to the health facilities.
He, therefore, stressed the need for women to report early if they suspect there is evidence of the disease.
He was speaking at a breast cancer awareness and screening programme organised by Abosso Goldfields Limited (AGL), Damang Mine in the Western Region.
The exercise, held to mark the October Breast Cancer Awareness month, was organised through the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation and the Damang wing of Women in Mining (WiM).
Dr. Magdalene Bakari of the Tarkwa Government Hospital educated the participants on the symptoms of the disease and how they could examine their breasts to check for the disease.
She mentioned some of the signs and symptoms as breast lump, lump in the armpit, change in the colour of the breast skin and bloody nipple discharge.
She encouraged the women to frequently examine themselves. She debunked the assertion that the sucking of women breasts by male adults would prevent breast cancer.
“It is rather breastfeeding that will help prevent women from contracting the disease,” she indicated.
She stressed the need for every woman to know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and understand the significance of early detection for treatment.
Catherine Kupool, Acting General Manager of AGL, said the mine has volunteered to support the awareness creation and share ideas with its host communities, in particular women, about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer in order to improve early detection and treatment.
“Even though the disease may seem frightening, early discovery is crucial for its treatment and the survival of those who are affected,” she emphasised.
Out of 67 women who went through free screening as part of the programme, two, who were suspected to have the cancerous lumps, were referred to the Tarkwa Municipal Hospital.
FROM Emmanuel Opoku, Huni Valley