FIRST LADY CALLS FOR PRIVATE PARTICIPATION IN FIGHT AGAINST CANCER

The First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, says one key strategy towards effective management and control of the increasing cases of all forms of cancer in Ghana will be the adoption of the public-private partnership policy that would help to put in place the needed infrastructure to cater for detection and treatment of reported and emerging cases.

She noted that government’s commitment towards addressing challenges in the management and treatment of cancer cases at healthcare facilities including the provision of the required resources is being undermined by the need to give equal attention to a comprehensive healthcare at all levels. 

Mrs. Akufo-Addo made the point in Kumasi at the commemoration of this year’s World Cancer Day. 

Kumasi hosted this year’s the World Cancer Day cerebration for the first time on the theme: “I am I Will” following the selection of the city by the Union of International Cancer Control, UICC, in November 2017 as the 4^th in the World and Africa’s first Cancer City Challenge Project. In attendance was the President of the UICC, Princess Dina Mired, and participated by students, traditional leaders, representatives from the Christian and Muslim clergy among other groups. 

The Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Osei Assibey Antwi, assured that with the availability of such first class healthcare facilities such as the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital which now has a Cancer Registry, the city of Kumasi is bound to be the preferred point for cancer management.

 He pledged the commitment of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, the political and traditional leadership of the city towards making Ghana the fore runner in the fight against, and management of cancers in Africa. 

The Minister of Health, Mr. Kwaku Agyemang Manu, stressed the need for increased advocacy to drum home signs, symptoms, treatment and management services available in the country to encourage early reporting of cases.

The President of UICC who is also a Princess of the Kingdom of Jordan, Princess Dina Mired, who is as well a mother of a cancer survival, explained that the Cancer City Challenge Programme initiative is a means of galvanizing all interest groups of the society especially in the health sectors to come together and pool resources including specialists in healthcare and also the needed infrastructure towards effective management of cancers in the areas of prevention, care and management.

 Kumasi therefore stands to benefit from the training of about 200 experts in these areas and other benefits. She said, “We need to stop the new customers of cancer. We have to close the tap…we can prevent cervical cancer. “ Princess Mired advised “Let us put in the plan. For now, vaccination for our girls and screening to stop the new avalanche of cervical cancer and screening will help us to save lives early”

The First Lady expressed serious concerns about the rising cases of cancers emphasizing on the reported cases of Cervical and Breast Cancers which, she noted, constitute about 50 per cent of all the reported cancer cases in Ghana and bothering women. 

“Reports from Cancer Registry and Cancer treatment centres in Ghana show increasing cases of cancer. Significantly, over 50 per cent of these patients were women largely due to breast and cervical cancers. These affected women are usually in the productive age of between 35 to 50 years working to care of their families”, Mrs. Akufo-Addo said.

Mrs. Akufo-Addo called for improved advocacy and public education to empower the people to promptly detect cancer symptoms to enable them report early. She stressed “We need to encourage people to adopt healthy lifestyles such as eating healthy diet and doing physical exercises.”