First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo (2nd left) in a discussion with Princess Dina Mired and other guests at the event
First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo has asked stakeholders in cancer management to boldly confront the financing of cancer treatment in the country and Africa at large.
According to her, creating awareness on cancers, screening cancers and promoting early detection amongst others will only be impactful if the interventions can reach the patients in due time.
“Creating the necessary awareness may get an individual to know their cancer status. The reality, though, is that sometimes, they simply cannot afford the treatment,” she stated.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo called for stronger collaboration if the country is to overcome the challenge of cancer management.
“There must be synergy between academia, healthcare practitioners, civil society organisations, drug companies, governments, payers, the patients and many others. In this battle we are all on one side with a common enemy. If we must win, we have to come together and work together,” she added.
The first lady further hinted that there was a need for a national re-thinking on cancer treatment, calling on both the private and public actors to join forces.
“We must begin to think of and treat cancers as we think of and treat diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Both the public and private sectors must support our people to have unhindered access to cancer care.
Payers and by this I mean both private and public health insurance, must cover as many cancers as possible, in their benefits packages and we must finance the training of more healthcare professionals to acquire the needed skills to manage cancer patients,” she indicated.
The first lady was speaking at the cancer conference organised by the Association of Representatives of Ethical Pharmaceutical Industries (AREPI) in Accra.
The event formed part of activities to mark the World Cancer Day commemorated on February 4 each year, and it brought together stakeholders in academia, healthcare practitioners, civil society, drug companies, government, payers and patients to create a sustainable partnership to accelerate access to innovative lifesaving treatment.
President of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), Princess Dina Mired, said the organisation has chosen Kumasi as one of the ‘City Cancer Challenge’ sites to support in delivering quality, equitable cancer care for all.
“By identifying local leader and empowering the to identify needs and implement solutions C/CAN provides a foundation for lasting change at the city level and shares best practices so that solutions can be scaled nationally, regionally and globally,” she added.
In 2018, the International Agency for Research on Cancer published that 22,823 cases of new cancers are recorded annually in Ghana and out of this 15,089 people die.
According to the National Strategy for Cancer Control 2014-2017, about seven out of 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer each year in Ghana will die from it compared to two out of 10 women in developed countries.
AREPI President Philip Tagboto observed that the numbers were quite alarming, especially since the poor prognosis seen in breast cancer cuts across various cancers, notably childhood cancers, which generally have relatively better survival, “but unfortunately, we are losing the future of our cancer.”
He, thus, reiterated the earlier call for collaboration in order to support and provide unheeded access to cancer care.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri