By Alex Baah Boadi
Sefwi-Wiawso (WN/R), Oct. 26, GNA – The Anglican Diocesan Development and Relief Organization (ADDRO), a Faith-based non-governmental organization (NGO), has held a free breast cancer awareness creation and screening exercise for women and caregivers in the Wiawso Municipality of the Western North Region.
The exercise, organised in collaboration with Sefwi-Wiawso Health Directorate and the Western North Tourism Ambassador, Ms Mintah Afrah, formed part of ADDRO’s “Moments that Matter (MTM)” project, an Early Childhood Development Programme funded by the Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), USA.
The MTM programme is aimed at promoting and nurturing health care, nutrition and economic empowerment for caregivers of children up to three years.
It is being implemented in the Western North, Eastern, Ashanti, Upper West, Northern and Upper East regions of Ghana.
A total of 409 women and girls, and a male were screened with 109 caregivers registered under the ADDRO’s MTM Programme.
The event recorded 26 suspected breast cancer cases including the only male, and were referred to the Wiawso Municipal Governmental Hospital for further diagnosis and treatment.
Mr Michael Arthur, ADDRO Western North Regional Project Officer, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the Breast Cancer Awareness Month was a global health campaign held in every October to raise awareness, promote advocacy and drive behavioural change to prevent, and increase uptake of breast cancer screening and early diagnosis.
He stated that ADDRO as a major stakeholder in health programmes in the Wiawso Municipality, was committed to collaborating with the Ghana Health Service and other partners to champion interventions in the area of preventive healthcare initiatives, particularly on child and maternal health.
He encouraged the beneficiaries to take issues of their health very seriously to prevent health-related complications.
Mrs Mavis Kuffour, a Public Health Nurse at the Wiawso Government Hospital, encouraged women not to be afraid when diagnosed of the disease, saying breast cancer was not a death sentence.
She said screening was an important aspect of combating breast cancer, and advised that women between 20 and 30 years got screened every three years while, those above 40 at least once a year.
She further entreated women to always take breast cancer issues seriously and not wait until the month of October before going to the hospital to get screened.
Miss Afrah, on her part, advised women to always take advantage of the pink month and get screened.
Some of the beneficiaries in an interview with the GNA, lauded ADDRO for giving them the opportunity to know their breast cancer status at no cost, and called on other organisations to extend similar gesture to other areas to help fight against breast cancer.
GNA