Kwame Asuah Takyi – GIS Boss
The Ghana Immigration Service Clinic in collaboration with St. John’s Hospital & Fertility Centre on Monday organised a health talk on prostate cancer for officers from Kotoka International Airport (KIA), Tema and Greater Accra Region (GAR) Commands, including officers from the National Headquarters. The talk centred on the prevention, cure and symptoms of prostate cancer.
The Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mr. Kwame Asuah Takyi, in his opening remarks, described the talk as a very important and timely one, as he has taken a keen interest in the recent statistics and reports of men affected by prostate cancer, saying, “It has come to my notice that, the prostate cancer disease is rampantly taking lives of some staff of GIS, especially during their old age. Prostate Cancer is currently recognised as the fifth most common cancer in men. Upon knowing all this, it’s my pleasure to bring this talk and screening on board to ensure the prostate health of my officers is in order.”
Dr. Maxwell Nyinah, a Urologist/Surgeon from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and resource person for the health talk stated that, prostate cancer issues has become a major disease which is currently claiming the lives of men between the ages of 50 and above, if care is not taken.
He again mentioned that, prostate cancer is now the fifth common cancer in the cancer family which is very common in blacks in their old age, and it occurs when cells in the prostate grow out of control; this happens when there are changes in the DNA of the prostate. He mentioned that it is worthy to note that, prostate cancer can remain symptomless in an individual for a long time until symptoms start to appear, by which time it could be too late for some patients. He added that men with family history of prostate cancer stand a high risk of contracting the disease.
According to Dr. Maxwell Nyinah, some preventive measures of prostate cancer include one taking in balanced diet, having regular sex, minimising eating of fatty foods, red meat, and milk amongst others.
The Medical Practitioner at the GIS Clinic, Dr. Prince Boateng advised that, early detection is critical as prostate cancer is treatable. Therefore, patients who become carriers of the disease should subsequently visit the hospital for regular checks in the early stages of the disease to reduce the risk of the disease getting out of hand.