BCI urges women to prioritise breast health to reduce cancer cases , deaths in Ghana

Breast Care International (BCI) has urged women to prioritise their breast health as part of efforts to reduce breast cancer cases and deaths in Ghana. According to the organisation, although intensified public education has improved awareness of the disease, more than 5,000 cases are still recorded annually, with about 2,300 women losing their lives. Speaking to the media after a breast cancer sensitisation programme at the Assemblies of God Church at Nsawam in the Eastern Region, President of Breast Care International, Dr Beatrice Wiafe Addai, described the situation as extremely concerning, particularly as breast cancer is treatable when detected early.

She said the disease only becomes difficult to treat when it is diagnosed at an advanced stage, urging women to undertake regular self-breast examinations or visit health facilities for routine screening and early detection. “We’re concerned about breast cancer, which is diagnosed among 5,000 Ghanaian women every year and which claims the lives of more than 2,300 of them. It’s close to 50 per cent, and that is something that should concern all of us,” she told journalists.

Dr Wiafe Addai said the grim statistics have strengthened the organisation’s resolve to ensure that every Ghanaian woman understands breast cancer through sustained awareness creation across the country to tackle the growing challenge. She also thanked Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City and other partners for their continuous support in championing initiatives aimed at preventing avoidable deaths among women. Dr Wiafe Addai further expressed gratitude to the Assemblies of God Church at Nsawam, particularly the pastor’s wife, for inviting the organisation to educate women in the church and the wider community about breast cancer.

A representative of Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra, Emelia Naa Nelly, said the initiative formed part of the hotel’s corporate social responsibility efforts to collaborate with Breast Care International to educate women and fight breast cancer. She said the fight against breast cancer forms part of sustained efforts by the two organisations over the years to tackle the disease, stressing that the campaign should not be limited to October but pursued throughout the year. She also urged women to voluntarily undergo regular screening to facilitate early detection and ensure easier treatme…