The government has been urged to focus more on preventive health when it comes to dealing with cancer in the country.
This, according to the Africa Cancer Organisation (ACO), an NGO focused on promoting cancer prevention, could go a long way in saving lives and reducing the burden of the disease on the populace and the country’s healthcare system.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Ghanaian Times in Accra, the Executive Director of ACO, Mr Paul Opoku Agyemang, said putting measures in place to encourage cancer screening and also absorbing some of the cost of such screening exercises by the government would help in early detection and prevention to save more lives and reduce the high mortality rate of cancer in the country.
Much attention and funds, he said, should also be dedicated to awareness creation about cancer in Ghana, especially in the rural areas, saying, many lacked adequate information about the disease, its symptoms and available treatment.
Mr Opoku Agyemang expressed concern about the lack of adequate medical equipment in public health facilities across the country to manage cancer, adding that the few that were available were overburdened.
Touching on the possibility of eradicating cervical cancer, he noted that cervical cancer was 100 per cent preventable, saying there was available vaccine that protected girls and women in general from contracting the disease, but the lack of knowledge about the vaccine contributed to why cervical cancer was still affecting and claiming lives of women in Africa especially.
“Cervical cancer is highly preventable, yet it is the most common type of cancer among women in Ghana and Africa at large. We at ACO are doing our best when it comes to offering free cervical cancer screening, treatment and awareness creation. So, we need government to also dedicate more funds to this disease which can become history if attention is given to it,” he said.
He also advised women to desist from promiscuity and practise safe sex by using condoms since cervical cancer is sexually transmitted.
According to him, women must also endeavour to get vaccinated and go for regular screening for the detection of any abnormalities.
Parents, he said, must also get their adolescent girls vaccinated as early as possible since cervical cancer vaccine gives protection against the disease for life.
Throwing more light on cervical cancer, Mr Opoku Agyemang explained that even after exposure to the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which causes cervical cancer, it could take years for the disease to start manifesting and added that sometimes, the immune system got rid of unhealthy cells from the body before they developed into cancer.
In furtherance, he advised members of the public to adopt healthy lifestyles and go for regular health screening to reduce their risk of suffering from cancer and other chronic diseases.
Mr Opoku Agyemang added that his outfit had currently put a lot of activities on hold to focus on cervical cancer awareness creation and screening in efforts to contribute towards the total elimination of the ailment in Ghana and beyond.
“All our activities are in line with the World Health Organisation’s standards. We thank all our partners for their support. We will continue to give off our best in the fight against cancer,” he added.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
