By Benjamin Akoto
Sunyani, (Bono), Oct. 31, GNA-Mrs Lady J.W.E Mensah, the National President of the Seed Production Division (SPD) Ladies’ Club Association of the Ghana Cocoa Board has expressed concern about inadequate mammography machines in major health facilities in the country.
She said that the country required adequate machines to facilitate breast cancer screening and early detection, worrying that the situation was even bad in Sunyani, the Bono Regional capital where machines were lacking.
Mrs Mensah, also a Principal Human Resource Officer at SPD noted that: “Only few facilities in the country have mammography machines”, impeding efforts towards fighting breast cancer.
She raised the concern in an interview with the media in Sunyani on the sidelines of a durbar to climax the Association’s breast cancer awareness campaign.
The event brought together members of the association, drawn from Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions, with a free breast cancer screening benefiting about 150 women.
Mrs Mensah said the 2026 campaign was beyond breast screening advocating improved access to mammography services and called on health hospitals to acquire the machines.
She said the association was also mobilising resources to procure some of the machines to some health facilities too.
Mrs Mensah appealed to the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service and key stakeholders to procure the machines, worrying that many women might be living with breast cancers ignorantly.
Madam Rita Oppong Yeboah, a Public Health Promotion Officer at the Sunyani Teaching Hospital, urged women to seek regular screening for breast cancers.
She said that early detection remained crucial to successful treatment, advising women to seek medical attention whenever they noticed unusual changes in their breasts.
Mr Acheampong Afful, the Deputy Manager of SPD for the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions, urged men to support the fight against breast cancers.
Madam Millicent Okyere, a Nurse and breast cancer survivor, shared her experiences, saying that she discovered a lump in her left breast in 2024 while breastfeeding.
She said medical examinations confirmed her status, however she was able to undergo chemotherapy and surgery because her condition was detected early, saying that she was presently on immunotherapy, which would take her for at least 10 years.
Mrs Sarah Sabeng, a member of the association, noted that the campaign had reinforced her understanding of the importance of early detection, and regular medical check-ups for breast cancer, urging women to prioritise regular screening.
Earlier, members of the association paraded through the principal streets of Sunyani to intensify awareness creation about breast cancer and to encourage women to seek screening.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Benjamin Akoto
Email: [email protected]