U.S Ambassador to Ghana
A new cancer center for women has officially been opened in Kumasi, Ghana.
The HopeXchange Medical Center, a modern specialist hospital, research center, and medical training facility, was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with the government of Ghana.
The center, designed to serve as a regional hub for medical training, research, and patient care has facilities including a clinical pathology laboratory and surgical suite.
The focus of the center is to address public health priorities in sub-Saharan Africa, with particular expertise in maternal-child health, infectious diseases (including HIV and malaria), ophthalmology, and cancer.
U.S. Ambassador Stephanie S. Sullivan during the opening of the center, lauded the combined efforts of all partners in successfully launching the new center.
She said, “Deaths from breast and cervical cancers can be avoided if the disease is caught early.
HopeXchange will improve early screening through community-based advocacy programs that raise public awareness, reduce stigma, and empower women and girls to seek preventative and curative cancer care [and] I am confident that by working hand-in-hand with the Government of Ghana, leading universities, the private sector, and communities, together we will continue to make a difference in saving women’s lives and chart a bright and healthy future for all Ghanaians.”
HopeXchange President, Mario Cappello, also stated, “The dream of providing world class healthcare in breast and cervical cancer to the poor and needy in Ghana is being realized through the generous support of the United States of America.”
Through community-based screening, HopeXchange will support women to detect cancer early, when it can still be treated and cured.
Research programs will seek to define cancer incidence in the Ashanti region and establish appropriate screening methods to improve outcomes.
Other partners of the center include Ghana Mission Foundation of Malta, the Catholic Church of Ghana, Yale University, HopeXchange Foundation, NGOs, and some of the world’s foremost academic and medical institutions from around the globe.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri