LAST Friday, Ghana joined the global community to mark World Cancer Day under the theme, “Closing the Cancer Care Gap: Community Action for Prevention and Early Detection in Ghana.”
The theme is both timely and urgent. Cancer is no longer a distant or rare diagnosis; it is a growing public health crisis that demands sustained national attention beyond ceremonial observance.
The statistics are sobering. According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS), cancer accounts for about 42–43 per cent of deaths in the country. Behind that figure are thousands of families grappling with avoidable loss, financial strain and emotional trauma.
For us at The Ghanaian Times, what makes the situation even more troubling is that many of these deaths could be prevented through early detection and timely treatment.
At the commemoration, Dr. Lawrence Ofosu Boadu of the GHS underscored the need to prioritise prevention, early detection and treatment as critical steps towards bridging the cancer care gap. His call is not merely technical; it is a moral imperative. Early screening dramatically improves treatment outcomes, yet too many Ghanaians continue to seek care only when the disease has advanced.
Breast cancer presents a stark example. As Dr. Park Koblah Forson of Jhpiego pointed out, about 80 per cent of women in Ghana are diagnosed at late stages. This is not because the disease is untreatable, but because awareness, screening and health-seeking behaviour remain inadequate.
In our view, the solution lies in demystifying cancer, promoting regular self-examination and encouraging hospital visits—services that are covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Encouragingly, the government has pledged to strengthen cancer care by integrating services into existing healthcare structures and expanding free primary healthcare. The development of a National Cancer Roadmap and the planned review of the National Cancer Prevention and Control Strategy (2014–2024) signal recognition that policies must evolve alongside emerging technologies and treatment approaches.
Support from the World Health Organisation, including the Global Strategy to Eliminate Cervical Cancer and the Global Breast Cancer Initiative, further reinforces the global solidarity behind this fight.
However, policy frameworks alone will not close the cancer care gap. Community action—the central message of this year’s theme—must move from rhetoric to reality. Traditional leaders, faith-based organisations, schools and civil society groups have a critical role to play in promoting healthy lifestyles, reducing stigma and encouraging routine screening for cancers such as breast, cervical, prostate and colorectal.
The success of Ghana’s HPV vaccination efforts demonstrates what is possible when political will, public health strategy and community mobilisation align. That same momentum must now be sustained and expanded to cover broader cancer prevention and early detection initiatives.
World Cancer Day should therefore serve not merely as a reminder of the burden we face, but as a catalyst for measurable action. Screening services must be accessible and affordable. Public education must be continuous, not seasonal. Health insurance coverage must be strengthened to reduce catastrophic out-of-pocket spending. And above all, Ghanaians must shed the fear and stigma that often delay life-saving intervention.
Closing the cancer care gap is achievable—but only if prevention becomes a culture, early detection becomes routine, and treatment becomes accessible to all, regardless of geography or income.
The fight against cancer cannot be won in conference halls alone; it must be carried into our homes, our communities and our health facilities every day of the year.
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